


Have Mercy

by crazddreamer



Category: Past FCW, WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment, early NXT
Genre: Angst, Emo seth, F/M, Finding their way back to each other, Implied Stalking, Light Dominance, Public Sex, Regrets and Decisions, Shower Sex, Slow Burn, Smut, a post break up story, aggressive sex, brief suicide mention in ch. 4, learning to change for the better
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-08
Updated: 2018-09-12
Packaged: 2019-07-08 15:18:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 42,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15933110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crazddreamer/pseuds/crazddreamer
Summary: Mercy gets dragged to a WWE PPV by her best friend, stirring up old memories best left forgotten. When the main event arrives, she is face to face with the person she never thought she’d see again





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Have Mercy was originally posted to Tumblr using the Reader format. If you would like to experience that, search my user name on Tumblr, EvilAngel84, and go to my masterlist

Everything about this went against her better judgement. Mercy's skin tingled, and a sense of dread settled in her stomach, boiling there, making her feel nauseous and extremely uncomfortable. There were people everywhere, filling up the arena with a constant drone of noise. It echoed off the concrete floor and the steel beams above her. The smell of popcorn and beer permeated Mercy's nose, leaving it in a constant state of wrinkled in disgust.

Next to Mercy was her best friend, Royal, her excited grin competing against the flashing lights as music played around them. She was squirming in her seat, her feet tapping a rhythm Mercy couldn’t hear, her Black T Shirt with cut off sleeves and frayed hem catching Mercy's eye again as she tried to figure out who Roman Reigns was, and what he had done to earn Royal's anticipation.

Royal had dragged Mercy to a WWE event. And not just any event, a pay per view. It was all Mercy could do to even drive to Royal's house to pick her up, her anxiety clicking up a notch as each task was accomplished, getting the two of them closer and closer to the event. Getting ready? Anxiety arrived. Ate dinner? Nausea said hello. Picked up Royal? Sweat beaded at her forehead. Parked at the arena? Knots formed in Mercy's stomach.

This was going to be hell.

Royal had been Mercy's best friend for five years, but had never seen her like this. Even through her own excitement, Royal caught Mercy's shallow breaths, and the way her eyes darted around the large room, as if looking for an escape route.

She leaned over so that Mercy could hear her better. “Hey, since when do you have anxiety this bad?”

It was a legit question, and she was worried. Mercy imagined Royal thought it was due to the amount of people pressed around them, but that wasn’t it at all. There were things that Royal didn’t know, things that Mercy held deep inside of her, hidden from everyone.

And wrestling was the trigger.

Shaking her head, Mercy shrugged. “Don’t worry about me. Enjoy the show, I’ll be fine.” Trying to relax, she leaned back in the plastic padded folding chair, crossing her jean clad legs, fiddling with the hem of her red shirt. Really, Mercy didn’t want to ruin Royal’s fun. She was amped up, chatting with the people in the row behind them, as if she had known them her entire life, and had not just met them 10 minutes ago. The seats were great, second row from the barrier, near the time keeper’s area. Mercy could see the announcer’s table from where they were, right on the aisle.

Royal’s boyfriend had scored the tickets to the show for the two of them, but when his mother got unexpectedly sick, he had to fly home to take care of her, leaving Royal without someone to attend the PPV with. She had begged Mercy for days to go with her. At first, she politely declined, and Royal had asked other people. When that didn’t work, she again pleaded with Mercy to go with her so that she wouldn’t have to be surrounded by mega douchebags on her own.

If there was one way to get Mercy's protective instincts up when it came to her friends, it was mega douchebags.

Begrudgingly, Mercy agreed, hoping against hope that Royal's boyfriend would miraculously show up and she could bow out. No such luck.

So Mercy found herself in a world she had thought she had left behind. The buildings full of noise, the men and women in little clothing, baby oil dripped all over them and their hair wet, a crew who worked their asses off and received little to no recognition. Mercy knew it all, every nuance of the show, out in the ring and behind the stage.

But Royal had no idea. The two of them had met after Mercy had left that world. After her life had crumbled around her and she was picking up the pieces after having nothing left. Mercy had never intended to tell Royal about this portion of her life. Not because Mercy didn’t trust her, or that she was ashamed, but because it had nearly broken her. In the span of 2 months, Mercy had lost everything she had ever loved, and it was something she never wanted to experience again.

Blinking, Mercy realized the show was starting when Royal grabbed her arm and shrieked, bouncing up and down in her chair. The lights dimmed, the National Anthem was sang, and pyros went off on the stage, sending Mercy's heartbeat skyrocketing. The crowd went nuts and all jumped out of their seats, while she remained seated, looking around as if she was having an out of body experience. To be back in this world….it just felt surreal.

The first match featured four women in a tag team bout. Royal prattled in Mercy's ear about the Boss N Hug Connection and The IIconics, but she half listened. She wasn't there to get back into the storylines, she was there to make sure her friend didn’t have to deal with drunk rednecks who got a little grabby.

The show seemed to pass in a blur, match after match, including a ladder match that featured a tall ass bearded man carting a briefcase and a guy in little trunks decorated with Pride colors with abs Mercy could do laundry on.

Royal was losing her mind beside Mercy, her nails digging into Mercy's arm as the main event arrived. Mercy's breathing had seemed to level out, but her muscles were stiff from holding herself as still as possible, as if she could keep all her roiling emotions locked inside if she didn’t move. Royal tugged on her shirt.

“You have to see this match! This is going to be epic! Stand up!”

She had to yell at Mercy to be heard over the music, and Mercy tried to keep the groan low so she wouldn’t feel bad. Mercy didn’t want to participate. She wanted to leave, as soon as possible. But she stood, mildly amused as Royal booed the men getting into the ring. One had overly bleached hair, an orange tan, and the pinkest pants Mercy had ever seen in her life. The other was tall, with long dark hair hanging over his face, a beard that screamed “Daddy!”, and a faux leather over coat with chains in various places.

Again, Royal tried to give Mercy some back ground. “That’s Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre. Heels. Bad guys. Dolph recently won the Intercontinental Championship, and Drew helped him. The guy that’s coming out next, he was the previous champ!”

Mercy wanted to laugh a little hysterically at Royal trying to explain heels, but she kept her lips closed.

The entrance music stopped and the two men paraded around the ring, waiting for Dolph’s opponent.

As soon as the music started, the crowd went nuts, causing Mercy to wince slightly. From her vantage point, she saw a tall man come stomping out from behind the LED board, his red and black pants tight against his skin, a black shirt covering his torso. He too had long dark hair and a beard, although he was a little shorter than the man in the ring with the blonde.

“BURN IT DOWN!” the crowd chanted together.

Whoever this guy was, the crowd around Mercy and Royal loved him. It was infectious, the connection the man had with the people cheering for him, and Mercy almost found herself interested in what was about to happen.

Rolling her eyes, Mercy leaned over to Royal. “I’ll be back! Bathroom break!” She had to yell to be heard over the chanting, but Royal waved her off, her focus entirely on the men in the ring.

Turning, Mercy made her way through the arena, almost sighing in relief when she found the women’s bathrooms, and the peace they brought. Making her way to the sink, Mercy began to wash her hands, not having to actually use the bathroom. She could hear the crowd through the concrete walls, the oohs and ahhs, the chants, the yells as the men performed their moves.

Mercy knew what it would be like. The initial lock up, the posturing, the drop kicks and turnbuckle jumps. In her mind’s eye, she could predict every move, down to the false covers and finally, the three count. It was in her blood, a part of her like her DNA. And Mercy wished it gone.

Looking in the mirror, she was shocked to see how wide her eyes were, like a doe staring down the barrel of a rifle. Her face was pale, hair a little limp, probably from running her hands through it, and her lip looked like she had attempted to chew a hole through it.

Sighing, Mercy dried her hands and headed to the concession stand, getting a small drink for her and Royal to share. Best friend benefits. No cooties and no worries. Deciding she couldn’t stall any longer, Mercy headed back into the show, making her way to her seat.

The match was reaching its crescendo, and the crowd was very into it. It took a moment for Royal to even notice Mercy was back, but she nodded at her when Mercy pushed the drink at her. Taking it, she sipped at it and put it down on the floor between the two of them. Mercy shook her head, moving the drink to the other side near the aisle, out of the way of Royal's jumping feet.

The crowd yelled in unison and Royal shrieked, causing Mercy to stand up straight, only to find that the match had spilled out into the crowd, more specifically, over the barrier and right next to Mercy and her best friend.

The smaller dark haired man and the blonde, Dolph, rolled around in front of Mercy and Royal, throwing forearms and doing belly to back suplexes. As they gained their feet, the darker one had his back to Mercy, his spine tattoo seemingly dancing before her eyes.

The world stopped. The crowd disappeared. Noise ended.

She knew that tattoo. Intimately. Mercy couldn’t count the times she had lovingly teased the man that ink adorned, telling him the tattoo was Chinese for Moo Goo Gai Pan.

As Dolph punched the man Mercy hoped she never saw again, he took the hit, spinning around and knocking into Mercy and Royal, their drink at Mercy's feet spilling all around her. His hands came up to brace himself on her shoulders, and his eyes locked with hers. At first, there was no recognition, his focus solely on his job and what move came next. But as he straightened, ready to spin around to face his opponent again, his eyes cleared, and shock made his mouth drop open.

Internally, Mercy was screaming, but she held her face blank as he reeled back, knocking into Dolph. Dolph, clearly confused as to what his problem was, took charge and tossed him back over the barricade.

The match proceeded, Drew assisting Dolph, knocking him out of the way of an Enzuigiri, taking the hit himself, allowing Dolph to nail a DDT, pining Seth Rollins in the middle of the ring for the one, two, three.

Seth Freakin’ Rollins.

Mercy's ex boyfriend.

The man who broke her heart, and left her life in tatters.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After seeing her ex boyfriend, Seth Rollins, for the first time in 5 years at a WWE PPV, Mercy’s best friend heaps on the trouble with Backstage Meet and Greets! Thanks Friend!

Mercy thought seeing her ex was the biggest bombshell that could have possibly have dropped on her. But she was wrong.

“That match was amazing! Come on, we have VIP tickets for a meet and greet with Seth Rollins!” Royal tugged on Mercy's sleeve, and her brain spun. A meet and greet? What?

Words wouldn’t form, and Mercy blindly followed Royal through the crowd, her shirt still in Royal's fist. She wanted to protest, to feign sick, to fall down and break her leg, but her body wouldn’t respond to her plead, stuck on autopilot. Royal flashed her tickets at the man next to the curtain and he waved the two of them through. There were people milling about, other ticket holders, wrestlers, crew members, producers. Backstage was a hodgepodge of organized chaos, and if it wasn’t for Royal guiding them along, Mercy would have immediately gotten lost. At least one of them was paying attention.

A room had been allocated for the VIP ticket holders, and Mercy vaguely wondered when meet and greets started being held after the events. It was unusual, but since she had been out of that world for a long time, it was possible things had changed.

The two of them halted, Royal again striking up conversations with the people around her, while Mercy stood still, her arms wrapped around her body, trying to hold herself together. Nothing could have prepared her for this night. In the back of Mercy's mind, she could hear herself internally screaming, begging for her to run, to get out of the world that had shattered her just 6 years earlier. But Mercy couldn’t move, couldn’t leave Royal.

It was an ongoing nightmare, it just wouldn’t stop. Royal chattering about how amazing Seth’s match had been, his tattoo floating before Mercy's eyes, knowing he was about to step foot in the same room she was in. God forbid he tried to talk to her, or apologize. Mercy might rake her nails across his face.

Minutes passed, and Mercy slowly moved to the side of the room to lean against the wall, out of the way, and out of eye sight. Royal watched her, her gaze questioning, but Mercy gave her a slight smile and shrug as if to say, have fun, I’ll wait here. Not my thing. Go do yours. Royal seemed to understand, but she still tossed worried glances Mercy's way.

“Mercy?”

The gruff voice felt like a punch to her solar plexus, and she turned her head to see Triple H standing in the doorway, his expression surprised. The people in the room all turned and cheered upon seeing him, and he gave them a half-hearted wave before making his way over to Mercy. Royal’s eyes widened, but she refused to make eye contact with her. This is exactly what Mercy didn’t want her to realize. These people knew her. And she knew them.

“Mercy, what are you doing here?” he reached his hand out and like a robot, Mercy shook his hand. He seemed genuinely happy to see her, something that caused a bitter taste in Mercy's mouth.

Waving Royal over, she answered him. “My best friend is a big fan.”

Arriving, Royal’s grin was like a balm to Mercy's soul. She knew Royal would have questions, a lot of them, but Mercy was able to give her this moment. Albeit unintentionally, but it was great to see her excitement.

Triple H greeted Royal, listening as she told him all her favorite parts of the show. He laughed at something she said, and Mercy realized she had spaced out of the conversation entirely. He signed a program Royal had pulled out of her back pocket, clapped Mercy on the shoulder, saying how great it was to see her again, and walked away to talk to a security guard near the door.

Royal spun around, her scowl halfhearted. “Excuse me, but what-”

Mercy was saved from her interrogation as Seth Rollins entered the room to loud cheers and clapping. A shy smile crossed his face, and the air seemed to escape Mercy's lungs. He was still in his wrestling gear, a clean shirt thrown over his sweaty chest, and his hair tossed up in a sloppy bun. He had never quite gotten the hang of creating a nice one, his hair always frizzy and out of place. It wasn’t on the top 50 things he cared about.

A memory crept in, snaring her before she even realized it was there.

 

_Seth sat on the floor between her legs as she pulled his hair back, smoothing it down before pulling the hair tie around his locks. Gently, she tugged at it, positioning it so that it fanned above his neck._

_“You need a hair cut,” she mumbled, leaning over to nip at the back of his neck with her teeth._

_Seth chuckled, reaching back to pull her off the couch and around into his lap. “Go get the scissors.”_

_“I’m not a hair dresser!” she exclaimed, lovingly staring into his eyes. Any time he laughed her heart swelled, and she fell deeper and deeper in love with him._

_“Well I don’t trust anyone else with sharp objects near me, so it’s either you or no one.”_

 

A slight tug on Mercy's shirt brought her focus back to where she was. She almost groaned. Royal was trying to get her into line to get Seth’s autograph, but she resisted.

“Go ahead. I don’t care about getting anything signed,” she said, once again refusing to make eye contact with Royal. “I’ll wait here. No reason for me to take up space in the line.”

A hiss escaped Royal, and it shocked Mercy. “Fine, but something is up, and I want a full explanation on the way home. Got it?”

There was no arguing with her, so Mercy nodded. How could she tell her so that she would understand? The line was about 30 people deep, and Seth seemed to be taking time with each person, young or old. His smile seemed genuine, and his body language was positive even though he lost his match. She remembered that used to take a toll on his psyche.

 

_The unmistakable sound of crashing could be heard coming from the locker room, and the hallways were suspiciously empty. Everyone had scattered as soon as Seth’s match had ended. Everyone except for her._

_Gently knocking on the locker room door, she pushed it open, reeling her head back when a chair flew towards the space where her head had been._

_“Seth, it’s me.”_

_He grumbled, kicking something that rattled a lot. Taking a chance, she again stepped through the doorway, closing it behind her._

_He continued to rage, hands tugging at his hair, growls and yells escaping him as he paced the concrete floor. Anything that could be thrown was, anything too heavy was kicked, all while he ranted._

_“I’m the best wrestler in this company! I’m the best! Hands down! No one can compare to me, and yet I lose to Ambrose? Are they insane?”_

_She just watched, listening, letting him get his frustration out. Suddenly, he whirled around to face her, stalking her way until he had her pressed up against the wall. Startled, she raised her hands to lay against his chest, feeling the sweat that covered him there._

_Seth’s lips were on hers before she could process it, but she kissed him back with the same intensity that he gave her. His tongue swept into her mouth, aggressive and hungry. Hands roamed over her body, lifting one leg to wrap around his hip, as the other roughly grabbed her breast through her t-shirt._

 

“Hey.”

At first Mercy was confused. Until she realized she drifted off into memory land again. But what caused the confusion was the fact that Seth was standing right in front of her, and her back was up against the wall, just like all those nights years ago.

Breathing was a struggle. His chocolate brown eyes were locked on her face, and Mercy couldn’t figure out how he had gotten over to her so fast without her noticing.

“It’s been a long time.”

That caused Mercy's nose to scrunch up, and the bitterness at the back of her throat to taste suspiciously like bile. “It’s been a long time on purpose,” she shot back.

Over Seth’s shoulder Mercy saw Royal, standing not close but close enough, her hands wringing themselves in apparent worry, her eyes darting around the room. It was just the three of them left, no one else was in the large space that once held over fifty people. Where had the time gone? Where was everyone?

Seth had always towered over Mercy, but it seemed in the years that had passed he had grown taller. Maybe it was the confidence he exuded. He seemed sure of himself. Calm. Maybe a little nervous, but that was understandable. Looking down at her, he pushed at his lower lip with his tongue, a gesture she remembered all too well.

“Look, can we go somewhere to talk?”

Pushing off the wall, almost knocking into him, Mercy skirted around him to get to Royal. “No, we need to leave. Now, Royal.” Gripping her hand, Mercy all but tugged her out of the room.

“Whoa, what?” Royal squeaked, throwing a “nice to meet you” at Seth. Looking back at Mercy, she glared. “Are you kidding me? What is going on? That’s Seth Rollins, one of the top guys of WWE, apparently you know him, and Triple H, mind you, and you just blew him off! Mercy. Mercy!” Royal stopped dead in her tracks, causing Mercy to jerk to a stop too. “You need to explain.”

With wild eyes Mercy searched the backstage area, looking and praying for an exit sign. “I will. I promise. But, Royal, I have to get out of here. Please.”

Royal searched her face, and whatever she saw there obviously convinced her that Mercy was serious. Nodding, she pointed back towards the curtain, indicating the two of them would leave the way they came in.

The trek to the car felt like she was moving in molasses. Every step, Mercy's heart felt like stone being hit with a ball pin hammer. She shouldn’t have gone to the show. The wrestling world no longer felt like home, and it was a place full of dark memories and deep regrets. Somewhere deep inside, she wondered if she would be forced to revisit those memories and regrets, no matter how hard she tried to bury them.

Because as the two of them reached the car, Royal caught Mercy's gaze over the hood. “Start. Talking.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, an explanation in a late night diner

Somehow, Mercy managed to fend Royal off until they reached a late night restaurant. It was always easier to talk to Royal when she was eating, mostly because she’d stop asking questions long enough for someone to get the whole story out. But she wasn’t waiting this time.

“Mercy, I’m not kidding.”

She didn’t need to finish her sentence. Mercy knew Royal wanted answers and she could no longer stall. Sliding into the booth across from her, Mercy gave the waitress her drink order and watched as she walked away. Taking a deep breath, she began her story.

“Before NXT existed, it was Florida Championship Wrestling. In 2012, FCW sold to WWE.”

Royal’s eyes narrowed. “First, since when do you know wrestling history, and second, what does that have to do with anything?”

Sighing, Mercy searched for their waitress. She needed food to shut Royal up so she could get through this. The waitress was no where to be found. “My father owned FCW. Wrestling was my life. I grew up surrounded by the greats, and I was there right up until FCW became NXT.”

Mercifully, Royal didn’t make a comment. The hard part came next.

“My dad was not money savvy, it’s like he thought money never disappeared. He tried, but he always blew the money on whiskey and women. He could barely scrape enough pennies together to pay the crew and the wrestlers. I tried to help him, but he would lie about the financials, and then go out to party with what he had stolen. Anyway, eventually it got so bad that we couldn’t pay anyone, and when the wrestlers threatened to walk out, Dad sold FCW to WWE. They kept us onboard to manage the territory, but Dad continued to swindle everyone, including me.”

The waitress was back, setting their drinks down and then quickly taking their orders. Mercy had no idea what was even on the menu, so she rattled off something and the waitress wandered away. Guess it would be a surprise when it arrived.

Again, looking at her best friend, Mercy continued. “Dad had a real problem but refused any accountability or help. I tried to play peace keeper, but the WWE office was becoming suspicious, and they sent Triple H to basically do recon. He went through everything with a fine tooth comb, discovering that Dad had taken close to $50,000 in less than a year. FCW didn’t make a lot of money to start with, so to find out he had taken that amount of money, well, suffice it to say, Triple H was no longer interested in keeping Dad onboard.”

Royal tilted her head to the side. “What else? There is something that has to do with Seth Rollins, specifically.”

Lifting her shoulder in a half shrug, Mercy said, “We dated for a year, right up until WWE took complete control over FCW and we were pushed out.”

Royal’s eyebrow lifted. “And?”

The Inquisition had begun.

Mercy refused to look at her. “And he broke up with me.”

“Mercy, spill it. The whole story. Why were you so cold to Seth today? You are a grown damn woman, and that break up happened years ago. So why treat him so badly?”

Mercy's body seemed to catch on fire, and anger flashed in her eyes. “Treat him badly? Are you kidding me? He broke up with me! He told me he couldn’t associate with me anymore because of what my Dad did. He all but said my family was trash, including me, and being with me would hold him back in his career. I was cold to him today? He was cold to me years ago!”

Shorts pants of breath escaped her lungs, and tears were threateningly close to being spilled. Refusing to give in, she glared at the paper place mat on the table, blinking rapidly.

“I’m sorry, Mercy. You didn’t deserve that.”

Looking back up at Royal, her expression almost broke Mercy. There was compassion there, some mild understanding, but mostly friendship. “I loved him, Royal. I dreamed of marrying him, of having children with him. He ripped that all away, all because he was afraid of what everyone else would think of him if he stayed with me. I wasn’t enough for him. Even knowing me, knowing I would never do what my Dad did, he still abandoned me. He didn’t fight for us.”

The food arrived, and Mercy was mildly surprised to find that she had ordered pancakes. It was past midnight anyway, she convinced herself. It was technically breakfast time.

Royal was quiet for a moment, scooping scrambled eggs onto her fork. Guess she thought it was time for breakfast too. Her hair was in tiny braids, spilling down her back in a waterfall only held away from her face by a purple headband.

“You know me, you know I don’t pry into people’s personal business, but why didn’t you tell me any of this?” She sounded hurt, which was the last thing Mercy wanted.

Taking a bite of a pancake, Mercy waited until she swallowed to respond to her. “I cut all ties to wrestling. It used to seep into everything I did. I lived and breathed for it. And when it was ripped away, I had nothing. I was so lost, with no direction in life. All I knew was how to run a wrestling company, how to manage sweaty, prima donna men who thought they were the next Stone Cold Steve Austin or Sting. I had nothing,” she repeated. “I had to build myself back up, and the only way I could cope was to leave that world behind completely. If I held on to it, I’d never move on.”

Royal made a motion with her fork. “That’s kind of answering my question, without actually answering it.”

Mercy gave an involuntary laugh. Leave it to Royal to smack her in the face figuratively with her own bullshit. “I was avoiding my problems, Royal. Obviously.”

Sagely, she nodded, as if she had known the answer all along. “Obviously. So what are you going to do now?”

The questioned confused her. “What do you mean? There is nothing to do. Once again I’ll move on and forget this ever happened.”

She hummed a little, taking a sip of her drink. “That might be difficult.”

Lifting an eyebrow, Mercy asked, “Why?”

“I might have given Seth your phone number.”

Her mind went still, and her ears began ringing. “You did what?”

Flipping a braid off her shoulder, she leaned a little into the table. “Look, Seth and I were talking while you were zoned out against the wall. He might have asked me how I knew you and I might have slipped him your number. And look, I knew something was up with you and him because you looked like you had just seen a ghost. And, with the way Triple H greeted you, I knew there was history there. Obviously, I didn’t know it was bad history, but hey, if Seth Rollins was to give me a call, I sure as hell ain’t sending him to voicemail.”

Every exaggerated word had her waving her fork across the table at Mercy. Royal was so animated, Mercy couldn’t even be mad at her.

Rolling her eyes, Mercy batted her fork away with her own. “Well giving my number to a guy without my consent is a pretty crappy thing to do, but it’s not like he’ll call anyway, so you are off the hook.”

With a huge, unrepentant grin she laughed. “You know, when I invited you to the show, I never thought your drama would overshadow the pay per view.”

“Oh my God,” Mercy exclaimed, grabbing sugar packets from the holder on the table and throwing them at her. “You are so rude!”

Still laughing, Royal fended off the flying sugar with her hands. “You love me anyway!”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The week after seeing Seth at the PPV, Mercy's emotions finally start to calm down. But when a surprise comes her way, how will she react to an unexpected life changing event?

Blissfully, Mercy's phone didn’t ring all week. Well, it rang, but none of the calls were Seth. Which was fine with her. All she wanted in life was to move on from that night, put it behind her. After Royal’s declaration that she had given Seth Mercy's number, she spent the first few days extremely paranoid, imagining Seth on every street corner, three people in front of her in line at Starbucks, and most disturbing, in her dreams.

Those dreams were the worst because they were the best. Wonderful, sweet, beautiful dreams of Seth’s hands running up her calves, wrapping around her thighs, and hauling her body to his mouth where he feasted for what seemed like hours. She’d wake up, orgasming, her fingers shoved inside of her, gasps and screams erupting from her throat.

Exhaustion was paramount after that, but in the middle of the week, Mercy seemed to calm down, settling back into her mundane, stable life. The dreams stopped, and she no longer saw Seth lurking behind every street sign.

Sitting at her desk at work, a pile of files littered around her, she kept throwing glances at her phone. Royal was blowing it up with text messages, one right after the other, and it was useless to try to answer each one individually. It was better to wait for her to finish her string of thoughts and then answer her.

A knock on Mercy's open door startled her, and she looked up, seeing a young man with short hair and a stocky build in her doorway. He was wearing spandex shorts and a tank top, and in his hand was a helmet and a brown envelope. Confused, Mercy greeted him.

“Hi, um I’m look for Mercy, Director of Human Resources? I have a package for her.”

God, Mercy hoped he wasn’t a stripper. With the way he was dressed, he was suspect, and even though her boss was pretty easy going, she didn’t think he’d appreciate a half naked guy grinding in Mercy's lap at work.

“That’s me. I wasn’t expecting a package, though.” She stood, rounding her desk to take the envelope out of his hand.

“Sign here please,” he said, thrusting a clipboard at her.

Doing so, Mercy waved him out of the room, closing the door behind him in case he decided to muster up the courage to slide those shorts off for some extra tips.

Sitting back down, she opened the package, sliding out a stack of papers, on top of which was a letter. Immediately, nausea hit her. The letterhead read “World Wrestling Entertainment” and it was signed by Triple H.

Dropping the papers on the desk, she turned in the chair, bent in half, trying to get her head between her knees so that she wouldn’t faint. Her breaths came out in short gasps, and Mercy was sure she was hyperventilating. Tears leaked from her eyes, smearing her makeup, but she just couldn’t manage to care at that moment.

Why? Why now, when life was finally becoming hers? When she finally had her head above water and she was no longer drowning? Why were they reaching out, specifically Triple H? What did he want? He had helped ruin Mercy's life. Of course, it wasn’t his fault, he was just doing his job, trying to protect the interests of WWE. But it had felt like a personal attack. The Cerebral Assassin was just as calculating in a conference room as he had been in the ring. How did he find her?

Mercy's office phone rang and she jerked upright, slamming her hand on the speaker button. “What!” she barked.

The receptionist squeaked in alarm. Mercy was never short with her co-workers, she was always pleasant and outgoing. The receptionist didn’t deserve her attitude. “Michael is ready for you.”

Groaning, Mercy hung up. She had forgotten that she had a meeting with the Director of Recruitment. This was not the time to fall apart. She was a grown damn woman, as Royal would say. She had to get her shit together and provide a united front. Never let anyone see weakness. Mercy would be damned if she would ever be vulnerable in business again.

Wiping at her eyes, Mercy stood, running her hands down her light blue pencil skirt. It looked ok, but she knew her face was a mess. Grabbing her phone, she shoved the offending papers back into the envelope and dropped them in the bottom drawer of her desk, still unread.

Mercy took a minute to stop by the ladies restroom to check on her hair and makeup. She looked tired, but thankfully her ruined mascara had somehow warped into an unintentional smoky eye. If she had tried that on her own, she would have ended up looking like a raccoon. Fixing her high ponytail with a quick readjustment and tug, Mercy sighed, determining she looked professional enough to not look like her past had slapped her in the face repeatedly for four days.

The meeting with Michael went well, the two of them working well together, and brainstorming with him on different ideas always produced great results. Mercy's team was highly awarded in the region, and staffing held at a steady 96%. It was a testament to everyone’s hard work and dedication.

Over the last couple of months, she and Michael had gotten friendlier, enjoying each other’s company when the team went out for drinks on Friday nights after work, driving together to meetings outside of the office, and even becoming friends on Facebook. It all started out innocent, but it seemed as if it was becoming more than that. Michael was a good looking man. Tall, blonde with short hair, and a strong, square jaw. Royal might have made a few jokes about that sturdy jaw. He was strong and supportive, listened when Mercy talked, and he was good at debating, something she truly enjoyed. It would not be a hardship getting closer to him.

Still rattled from the package she had received from WWE, Mercy didn’t notice at first when Michael walked her to his office door, something he rarely, if ever, did. In the office, the two of them kept to strict, unspoken, guidelines.

“So, Mercy, I was thinking, instead of going out for drinks with the team on Friday, why don’t you and I go on a date?”

The question seemed to come out of the blue, although realistically, it hadn’t. Mercy was just distracted. Taking a moment to collect herself, she smiled at him. “Yes, I’d like that.”

“Dinner?” he asked, placing his hand on her lower back. His hand was warm, but Mercy's stomach knotted up. It was the first time either of them had touched outside of professional handshakes or accidental brushes of the hand when exchanging documents. Her reaction was a little weird, but again, she chalked it up to the drama in her life.

Opening the door and stepping through,  _not,_ she told herself, to get away from his hand, she nodded. “That sounds great. Talk to you later!” Mercy almost bolted down the hall and back into her office. Once there, she sighed, calling Royal.

 _“Girl you haven’t answered any of my texts!”_ Royal didn’t mince words.

“I know, I’m sorry. Everything ok with you?” Before she unloaded her drama, Mercy needed to check to make sure Royal didn’t need her.

Mercy could hear cars passing by, and she looked at the clock. It was close to the end of the day for her, but Royal worked early hours, and usually got off mid-afternoon. _“Yeah, things are fine. I got that promotion I’ve been after and Trey’s mother is doing well. He’s hoping he can come home for the weekend.”_

As Mercy listened to her, sharing her excitement over her promotion, her gaze wandered down to the bottom desk drawer to her right. Where the envelope was. She was terrified to know what was in it, to read the letter Triple H had sent. Was it some sort of gag order? A restraining order? Mercy hadn’t done anything to deserve those kinds of things, but with the WWE, there was no telling what legal actions they would take.

“I’m happy for you, girl. Hey, listen, can you come over tonight when I get off work?”

_“Of course. I’ll finish my shopping, drop stuff off at my place, and meet you at yours.”_

“Thanks, babe,” she replied. “I have a feeling we’ll need wine.”

Royal laughed. _“Has it been that kind of day?”_

Aggravated at her cowardice, she kicked at the drawer. “Bring two bottles.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The two of them stared, dumbfounded, at the stack of papers on Mercy's coffee table. White knuckles surrounded her wine glass as tension filled her entire body. In her hands, Royal was reading out loud the letter that Triple H had sent.

**“Dear Mercy,**

**It was such a pleasure and a surprise to see you at this month’s pay per view in Florida. The wrestling community has been sorely missing your guidance and passion, and it is my hope that you will consider coming back into the fold.**

**Enclosed is an employment contract with World Wrestling Entertainment. A position has been created just for you and your unique talents and insight into our world. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out to me. My cell phone number is below.**

**Again, it was great seeing you, and I look forward to seeing you more in the future.**

**Sincerely,**

**Triple H”**

Looking up at Mercy, Royal’s eyes were wide, completely flabbergasted. “It’s an employment contract. You are being offered a job with the WWE.”

Deep down inside, Mercy had known. She knew it wasn’t a gag order in that envelope. She had nothing to share with the world that would destroy the company that had destroyed her life. No secrets to spill, no stories to broadcast. And even if she did, she wouldn’t.

“My dad committed suicide.”

The words popped from her mouth, but Mercy's gaze didn’t move from the contract in front of them. Her legs were tucked to her side on the couch, her arms close to her body while holding the wine glass. She was absolutely frozen. And scared. Of what came next.

“Mercy,” Royal breathed. “I didn’t know.”

Of course she didn’t know. Mercy hadn’t told her. Just that both her parents were dead. And Royal never pried. She may have been curious, but she was a firm believer that anything that was meant to be shared, would be, in time.

“Two days after the ink dried on the NXT deal, he overdosed. It was ruled a suicide. I don’t think he could stand knowing he sank FCW into the ground, that he let everyone down.” Mercy's eyes flicked up to see Royal looking at her, sympathy on her face. “I can’t go back, Royal,” she breathed.

Royal seemed to struggle internally. She looked away from Mercy, putting the glass of wine in her hand and the letter from Triple H on the table. She let out a breath. “As a lifelong wrestling fan, this type of contract is a dream and a miracle. Your childhood was everything I always wanted. I wanted to live in the wrestling world, to know the ins and outs of Creative, why and how decisions were made. I even wanted to know who told them what town they were traveling to everyday and how the arrangements were made for cars and hotel rooms. It’s a secret world, and it fills me with questions. So while you had struggles and tragedy, you also lived a life most of us can never even imagine.”

Staying silent, Mercy looked away from her. She didn’t understand, the life was not glamorous. It was difficult to deal with so many conflicting personalities, to book a show, and promote that show, hoping and praying the wrestler you pissed off the week before would show up to fulfill his or her obligations.

“But as your friend, I can see how much pain this is causing you, and knowing I did it, it’s my fault, kills me.”

Gasping, Mercy looked up at her. “Royal, no! You may have invited me, but I could have said no. I could have thrown a fit and bitched you out, refusing to go. But I didn’t. I went on my own accord.”

Deep in Royal’s eyes, satisfaction reflected back at her. “Yes, you could have done all of that. Which makes me think, you want back in. You miss it.”

Mercy's mouth dropped open. Her best friend had just turned the tables on her. Mercy's first instinct was to deny it, but her eyes fell back onto the contract. She could have thrown it away. She could have sent it back to Triple H with a big ol’ **_Eff You_** written in red ink. But she didn’t. She brought it home, showed it to her best friend, and was now openly realizing she had a deep hole in the middle of her heart where wrestling used to be.

“I miss it,” Mercy whispered.

Royal smiled, standing up. “We are going to need that second bottle of wine and a pen!”

As she moved towards the kitchen something in Mercy seemed to settle into place. “I am not giving you free tickets to shows!” she yelled.

Royal just laughed, the sound echoing off the tiles. “Of course you are!”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mercy tries to acclimate to her new surroundings

The arena was empty except the crew putting the ring together, the sound of steel hitting steel echoing in the large building. She had done it. Mercy signed the contract three weeks ago, after a bit of haggling over who would pay for the travel expenses. Honestly, if they wanted her back so bad, as Triple H had said, they could sweeten the deal a little bit. Mercy had given her notice to her previous job and enjoyed saying goodbye to everyone, including Michael.

The two of them had kept their date and had actually gone out twice more after that. She wasn't sure why she did it, she knew the demands of the road would make dating life extremely difficult. But Mercy wanted to experience some happiness with a man who genuinely seemed to care for her, before facing her deepest regret.

Seth Rollins.

Mercy and Royal had hatched a plan. Well, more like a diversion tactic, duck and avoid. Classic. And Royal had sat Mercy down and forced her to watch his Intercontinental Championship run to desensitize her to seeing him. Mercy wasn't sure it worked. Seeing someone on a screen was different than seeing them in person, but it was better to try than to be struck dumb when the time came to deal with him face to face.

And Mercy would have to, she was sure. Triple H had asked the Talent to meet in catering, where he introduced Mercy and explained what her job was, and how it could benefit them. Without meaning to, Mercy's eyes searched the crowd of ridiculously good-looking people, failing to find the one person she was looking for. Seth was nowhere to be found, and Triple H had mentioned after the impromptu meeting that there were others still on their way to the arena, and he would introduce them to her later, if the circumstances allowed for it.

She needed this time alone in the stands, though. Time to acclimate, to settle herself. After swearing off all things wrestling for 6 years, and then to suddenly dive back in, was disorienting. Royal was her constant sounding board, always ready to listen to her vent, or tell her that she was being dramatic. Royal was a reality check when reality didn’t seem real. She was only a text or a call away.

Seeing movement from her left, Mercy looked to see a tall, blonde haired woman coming her way. She was wearing a black jumpsuit, covered by a jean jacket with pins on the lapels, with black wedge sandals that Mercy immediately coveted.

“Hi!” she greeted, sticking her hand out. “I’m Renee. Are you Mercy?”

Standing, she shook her hand and smiled. “I am. Nice to meet you Renee.”

Renee gestured for her to sit again and sat too, turning her body towards Mercy. “So, I hear a ‘Welcome Back’ is in order?”

Inwardly Mercy grimaced. She wasn't sure what people knew about her and her past with WWE. “Yeah, of sorts. I was never involved with anything on this level, but I have some experience.”

Renee nodded, her big hoop earrings brushing her shoulders. “Well, Triple H has been singing your praises all week, so I’m happy you are here. By the way, what is a Talent Liaison anyway?

She was referring to Mercy's newly created, only for her, position. Lifting one shoulder in a half shrug, she explained. “I’m basically the hype woman for Talent. Meaning, they have ideas for their characters, and they run it past me, we hash details out, and we go together to present the idea to Creative. I’m a tool they can use. If they feel they don’t need me, they can present the idea to Creative on their own. But I’m here if they decide to use me.”

“Oh my gosh, that’s so cool! I love that!”

Mercy could tell Renee was a positive person, bubbly, and not afraid of taking a fashion risk, if the “Hate Nazis” and “PRIDE” pins on her jacket told her anything. She immediately liked her and felt at ease around her. Mercy was in a pair of charcoal gray trousers with a black blouse. Boring and safe.

“So, since this is your first day, and it’s Monday Night Raw, you can pal around with me and I’ll introduce you to people. Sound good?”

“Yeah, that would be great. I haven’t talked to anyone one on one yet. You missed the ‘Hello, my name is-‘ meeting in catering about an hour ago.”

Renee laughed. It was deep and husky, which only enamored her to Mercy more. “Sorry about that, my husband and I were traveling with a buddy and they had a signing early this afternoon. Come on. I need to start getting my make up done because I have pre-tapes. I’ll introduce you to my gang at Raw.”

The two of them stood, and Mercy followed her as she made her way backstage. Renee chattered about her job as correspondent when Mercy asked what she did, and she was thankful for her ability to fill in the silence. In the previous three weeks, Mercy had tried her hardest to do some research on the different brands, but undoubtedly there were names, faces, and storylines she had missed.

The halls were busy, but not overly crowded. Pieces of paper were taped to walls with directions to different places like locker rooms and offices. Absentmindedly, Mercy wondered whose job it was to print those at each location and put them up.

Renee arrived at the WWE Beauty Shop, which was a row of women with tables against a non-descript brick wall and directors chairs littered about. No one seemed to pay Mercy any mind until Renee made introductions, and she smiled, greeting everyone while realizing she didn’t hear half their names over the din of noise.

“Mercy, this is Corey Graves, the only co-branded announcer in WWE,” Renee made a sweeping movement with her arm towards a man in a light beige suit with a shockingly pink button up shirt and pocket square. His neck and hands were heavily tattooed, and he seemed to have a permanent wry smile on his face. Mercy actually recognized his voice before she saw his face.

Corey reached out to shake her hand. “Nice to meet you. Welcome to the team.”

“Thanks, I appreciate it.” She glanced around the area. “This is something else.”

Corey and Renee both chuckled. “It’s a cog in the wheel. You’ll get used to it.”

Assuming that was true, Mercy just nodded. At second glance she recognized Alexa Bliss, easily spotted with her blonde and pink hair, Natayla, who Mercy had actually known from her days in FCW, and Nia Jax, who Mercy instantly took a liking too when she watched past episodes of Raw.

Bringing her attention back to the duo in front of her, Mercy put her hand on Renee’s arm lightly. “I need to go meet Vince and find where I’m supposed to camp out for tonight.”

She nodded, her easy grin spreading across her face. “Do you have a ride to the next town?”

Shocked, Mercy shook her head. “Well I mean, yes, Triple H offered to take me.”

Corey made a face. “Ew no. It’s not cool to car pool with the boss. You don’t want to be on that list.”

Confused, she scrunched up her nose. “List? What list?”

Renee laughed, reaching behind Corey to pick up a bag of chips someone had left behind. “The Brown Nosers Club. Only accept a ride on two conditions: one, if you get offered a ride on the jet, take it, two if there are no other options. Lucky for you, Corey and I have epic playlists and our road trips have been known to be the envy of the locker room. You are hereby invited to come with us.”

“I thought you were riding with your husband and his friend.” The backstage politics and cliques had already confused Mercy, and she was only about two hours into the night.

Renee lifted a shoulder in a half shrug. “I’m married to a wrestler that works exclusively on Raw. He doesn’t go to Smackdown. Corey and I work both brands, and so do you. So, what do you say?”

Finally understanding, a little at least, Mercy accepted the offer. After trading phone numbers with both Corey and Renee, Mercy followed the paper signs to Vince’s office. She had only met him once when she was a teenager and not yet on the payroll for FCW. Mercy remembered being extremely intimidated by him, and she wasn't sure how he felt about Mercy being his employee. But he had asked Triple H to send her to his office at this time, and there she was. Lifting her chin and letting out a breath, she knocked on his door.

“Come in!” came a gruff reply. Mercy could hear deep, male laughter on the other side of the door.

Opening it, Vince quickly sidestepped out of the way, as he had been right next the door. His big frame, covered in a light gray suit, was immediately in Mercy's field of vision, and he rapidly gathered her up in his arms.

“Mercy! Damn am I glad to see you!”

It was not quite the reception she was expecting, but all things considered, it was the best outcome she could hope for. Wrapping her arms around him, she returned his welcoming hug. “Hi, Vince, great to see you again.”

He leaned back, a big smile on his face. Gripping her shoulders in his hands he looked her up and down, in a somewhat fatherly gesture. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen you, but I would never forget that beautiful smile. Come in, come in!”

He moved slightly, revealing the room he was calling his office for the evening. And the man standing next to his desk. The man Mercy had heard laughing before she walked in.

Seth Freaking Rollins.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mercy comes face to face with her ex, Seth Rollins. Is she ready to hear what he has to say?

Would her world stop every time she came face to face with him? Would she continually lose her breath? If so, she was going to probably have to ask WWE to supply Seth with a bell around his neck and an oxygen tank for herself.

Smiling politely at Seth, Mercy turned back to Vince. “Did I interrupt?”

“No, no!” Vince shook his head. “We were just chit chatting.”

“Nice to see you again, Mercy,” Seth said, his voice pitched low and soft, like he was speaking to a cornered animal.

Her stomach knotted, and she could feel her hoohah wake up. Just his voice.  And **_she_** was finally perking up. Bitterly, Mercy chastised her. Honestly, she didn’t seem interested when Mercy went out with Michael, so why did she decide now she ready to come out of hibernation? “Seth.” Mercy's tone was cold and firm. She could be professional, but friendly was out of the question.

A half smile spread across his face, and she felt her legs begin to wobble. She knew that smile. It was his Pick-Another-Time-For-A-Battle-Smile. At one time it was rare, but he seemed as relaxed and easy going as he had at the meet and greet almost a month ago.

Sticking his hand out, he shook Vince’s hand. “Vince, I’ll see myself out. Talk to you later.”

She refused to watch him leave. Plastering a fake, content-to-wait, smile on her face, she kept her eyes on Vince. After hearing the door close, she seemed to lose some of the tension in her shoulders.

Again, Vince faced Mercy. “It’s been a long time, like I said before, and when Triple H mentioned extending a contract out to you, I wasn’t sure it was the right move. We never got the chance to talk after the sale of FCW. I was sorry to hear about the passing of your father.”

Whatever she expected out of this meeting, this wasn’t it. There was a lot to unpack out of what Vince had said. “Yes, it’s been a long time.” What else could she say? A lot had happened in the past six years.

“I’m a rough man, Mercy, but I never held a grudge against your father. He wasn’t well, and you took that company and shouldered it for as long as you could, doing everything in your power to keep it running. You never should have had to do that on your own.”

Tears wanted to well up, but she steadfastly refused to give way to them. No one had ever recognized that she had run that company to the best of her limited ability. And to hear Vince McMahon all but say the words was unexpected.

Tilting her chin up to meet his eyes, Mercy said, “No, I shouldn’t have. But I did. And I learned a lot, but not enough.”

He gave her a soft smile. “You were very young. Experience comes with time. I kicked myself for years for not offering you a position in the company when we transitioned to NXT. You would have been a great sounding board for the indie talent as they came on board. But!” he exclaimed. “Enough of what was. What’s important is that you are here now, and you are going to elevate our Talent to new levels.”

She felt like laughing. “I’m glad you think so. I’m still trying to figure out how to best be helpful.”

He gestured with his hand. “That’s it in a nutshell. Just be helpful. Talk to the talent. But what I want you to remember is that you are a liaison. You work for both parties. You may be treated a lot like the evil messenger at first between Creative and the Talent. But I trust you can navigate that.”

It was almost mind-blowing how much faith Vince seemed to have in her, and Mercy felt humbled and terrified at the same time. The two of them talked a few more minutes, and then Vince indicated he needed to make a phone call. Saying goodbye, Mercy left the room. Closing the door, she turned, slamming into a broad chest, crunching her nose against a t-shirt.

“Mercy.”

God no. Why was he lurking outside of Vince’s office? Taking a step back, she felt indignation run through her body. “Seth, what are you doing? Are you tying to knock me onto my ass?”

His hands had come up to her elbows to steady her, and she pulled away from him, resisting the urge to rub her nose. God, it really hurt. What did he have under that shirt, bricks?

He chuckled, the sound calling to her hoohah. “No, I was just hoping we could talk before the show starts.”

Glaring up at him, Mercy tried not to notice how thick his beard was, and how much she wanted to run her fingers through it. It looked good on him, and it was much different from the scruffy faced kid he used to be. “If you would like to talk about work, I will be more than happy to do that.”

Seth’s eyes began to darken. “It’s not about work. I want to apologize-.”

Mercy lifted her hand, stopping him mid-sentence. “If it’s anything other than work, save your breath. I’m not interested in hearing it. Now, or ever.”

Sliding past him, she marched down the hallway, desperate to find a place where no one was around. She just needed a minute to collect herself. Maybe call Royal. Duck and Avoid was an epic failure, and she needed another plan.

 _Hopefully Seth got the message_ , she thought as she made her way through the building. Someone was yelling, “Doors are open! Doors are open! One hour until showtime!” Deciding she probably would not get the chance to have a moment to herself, Mercy made her way to catering, where she found a mixture of people milling about, food, and flat screen TVs.

Grabbing a plate of food, Mercy sat down at one of the many round plastic tables that were set up, casually watching as people strolled by or chatted with co-workers. It was emptier than it had been earlier during Triple H’s meeting, and that was fine with her. She still felt like the odd kid out, although as people passed they smiled at her and seemed pretty friendly.

Just as she lifted her fork to her mouth, someone plopped down beside her,  jarring the table. Looking to her left, Mercy saw Dolph Ziggler, in all his bleached glory. “Hey babe.”

Genuinely confused, she cast a glance around. “Are you talking to me?”

Pressing a hand to his chest, he gave her a hurt expression. “You really don’t remember me? Ouch!”

Mercy shrugged. “Sorry. Should I?”

He scoffed, arranging himself so that his legs trapped her on one side, his right hand on the back of the chair. “Your dad hired me many years ago for FCW. I trained there.”

Watching the one hand she could see, placed on his thigh but close to her knee, she responded. “I didn’t have anything to do with training. I booked the shows and dealt with financials.”

“Oh,” he smiled, “I know. But I saw you. I saw a lot of you, at the show, in the office, with Seth….”

Her eyes flew up to his. They were a pretty blue color, but his oily smile masked any good intentions he may have had. “What is your point?”

“Dolph!” A voice rang out from the doorway. They both turned to see Seth standing there, glaring at the blonde who was just a little too close to Mercy for comfort. “Let’s go, we are in the first segment.”

Relief flooded her body as Dolph muttered under his breath, sliding his chair back and away from her before getting up to march past Seth, shoulder checking him along the way. Seth kept his head down until Dolph passed, giving a wry chuckle before looking at Mercy.

“Are you ok?”

Even knowing that not half an hour ago she was basically telling her ex-boyfriend to fuck off, she nodded at him, gracing him with a small smile. “I’m fine, thank you. I could have handled it myself but thank you.”

Seth raised his hands in mock deterrent. “I don’t know what you are talking about. I was just making sure Dolph was on time.” He backed away, keeping his eyes on Mercy's for as long as possible until he turned the corner into the hallway.

She realized she hadn’t taken a full breath since Dolph sat beside her, so she tried to get it back to normal. Looking at her food, Mercy wrinkled her nose, deciding maybe eating was not a great idea at the moment.

In the span of under an hour, she had faced Seth three different times, and each time she had a different reaction to him. Mercy was confused and hesitant to analyze the whys too closely. Knowing her heart missed him, her brain was keeping her in close check, while her hoohah basically begged for Mercy to trap him in a hallway and have her way with him.

It was Mercy's biggest fear that her hoohah was going to win this war.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mercy doesn’t need any help from anyone, and honesty is the best policy. Right?
> 
> AKA The one where someone (maybe more than one person) gets a Come to Jesus Meeting

Mercy settled into a routine, arriving the day of the show, talking to the Talent, helping where possible, traveling with Renee and Corey, repeating the previous day’s activities, and then catching the red eye back home. Slowly, she became integrated with her co-workers, mostly everyone being nice and inclusive. Each show had Mercy feeling more confident in her new job, more relaxed and able to approach people as needed.

But Dolph Ziggler was the exception to that. No matter what she was doing, or who she was talking to, if Dolph saw her, he made it a point to interrupt her to regale her with stories about FCW and his days there. At first, Mercy tried to be polite and listen to him, but after weeks of him butting into meetings and trapping her in dark corners, politeness went out the window.

While Mercy was speaking to Nia Jax in the WWE Beauty Shop, Dolph sauntered by, snapping and popping his gum obnoxiously. “Hello ladies.”

A few of the wrestlers greeted him, but quite a few did not, including Nia, who was focused on what Mercy was saying.

“Ok so I think that’s a good idea, but if what we are going for is pretty ambiguous, you may need to watch your wording,” Mercy explained to her, holding the script she had been given that night.

Nia opened her mouth to respond, but snapped it shut when Dolph pressed up against Mercy's back, putting his chin on her shoulder. “Not gonna say hi to me?” he pouted.

Gritting her teeth, Mercy kept her eyes on the woman getting her hair curled, trying to take deep breaths. “Dolph, I need you to step back.”

He didn’t budge. “Well that’s not very nice. I just said hi.”

Using her shoulder, she attempted to shrug him off. “You are heavy. Get off.”

“Dolph, come on, we are trying to work here,” Nia complained.

He straightened, taking his weight off Mercy's back. “I know.” That’s it. Just ‘I know’ as if interrupting and being in her personal space was not a big deal. “Mercy and I go way back.”

She rolled you eyes. “He says we do. I have no memory of him at FCW,” Mercy told Nia, who grinned in female solidarity.

“He must not have been very memorable,” Liz, the hair guru, chuckled from behind Nia.

Dolph grinned, as if he found the opening he was hoping for. “I might not have been, but Seth sure was.”

That was it. She’d had enough. Whirling around, Mercy got in Dolph’s face, making him stumble back into the makeup table behind him. “If you mention Seth’s name in my presence one more time I’m going to pay Tyler Breeze $500 to shave your head while you sleep!”

Gasps from the women around them echoed in Mercy's ears, but her eyes were solely on Dolph. “You know why Seth slept with you in FCW, don’t you? He was climbing the ladder! And as the daughter of the owner and promoter, you were the ladder!” He was glaring at Mercy now, towering over her in an effort to intimidate her.

It wasn’t anything Mercy hadn’t said to herself, but it still didn’t feel good to hear someone else say it. But the gloves were off now. “And he was pretty successful, wasn’t he, Dolph? And I’m assuming that the reason you keep bringing up our relationship is because I didn’t throw myself at you, and you’ve been riding the mid-card for years, while Seth has been main event Talent since arriving on the WWE roster. So, it’s jealousy. You didn’t sleep with the owner’s daughter, and your career has been sliding downhill. Guess I have great taste in ladder climbers, don’t I?”

He growled. “I’m the Intercontinental Champion.”

Sneering, she replied, “Only to set Drew McIntyre up as main event material. Come on, you know it, I know it, we all know it. You. Are. A. Stepping. Stone.” Shoving the script that was in her hands at his chest, effectively pushing him into the table again, Mercy turned back to Nia. “I’m sorry, Nia. We’ll have to pick this up later. I’ll catch you before your segment.”

Stunned, she only nodded, the whole area eerily silent as Mercy stomped away, eyes on her back. Rounding the corner, a hand caught her elbow, halting her escape and pulling her against the wall. Seth looked down at Mercy, his caramel colored eyes full of worry, his wet hair falling over his ears and his cheekbones.

Already shaken from her altercation with Dolph, being face to face with Seth’s good looks was not helping.

“I won’t ask if you are ok,” his said, his deep voice low in Mercy's ear.

His hand was still on her elbow, and it took everything she had not to lay her head against his chest. Just to rest. Just to remember what it was like to be held by him.

“If you did ask, I’d tell you I’m fine.”

He gave her his signature half smile. “I know. I wasn’t eavesdropping. I was on my way to meet Roman and I heard yelling.”

The warmth of his skin seemed to seep into Mercy, calming her down more than she expected. “You got a show then.”

He was in his ring gear, the ones with the neon green lining, and a Dean Ambrose shirt, which made Mercy smile. Renee had pretty much adopted her, and she and Seth were fiercely loyal to Dean. Dean for the most part said hi to Mercy when he saw her, but he stayed to himself in the backstage area. It was the same back in FCW, so she didn’t take his aloofness personally.

Clearing his throat, Seth finally removed his hand from her elbow. “Ok, well, I was  _not_ just checking on you. You seem ok, though.”

Mercy couldn’t help it, she smiled at him. In the span of two minutes, he had managed to calm her down and make her smile. “I told you I could handle him by myself.”

Stepping away so that he was in the intersection of the hallways, he nodded. “You absolutely did that. Oh, and by the way, Mercy, I was not, and have never been, a ladder climber.”

With that said, he turned and walked away swiftly, leaving her leaning against the wall, stunned, but soft inside. In all honesty, Mercy didn’t know this version of Seth Rollins. This confident, relaxed, but focused Seth was different than the over anxious, super uptight, angry Seth she had dated for a year.

Mercy might like this version better.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Later that night, Mercy was back in catering, arms crossed, watching the flat screen TVs that were broadcasting RAW live. Eyes riveted, she never moved as Seth and Dolph flew around the ring. The chemistry they had was a beautiful sight to behold, and she found herself holding her breath a few times, sure that one of them had landed wrong. Both men sold the moves to perfection, making her believe that Seth had an injured knee and Dolph’s arm was wrenched.

Feeling someone beside her, Mercy looked over to see Dean, his eyes also on the TV.  He was dressed in a hoodie and jeans, his head covered by a beanie. After a few moments of neither of them speaking, Mercy again turned her focus back to the match.

Seth and Dolph were involved in a two out of three falls match, and they were 1-1, fighting for that tie breaker pin. If Mercy would have been sitting, she would have been on the edge of her seat, chewing on her fingernails. Seth was fluid, transitioning from move to move with speed and agility like she had never seen before. He absolutely was not this good in FCW.

“He’s changed,” Dean echoed Mercy's thoughts as if he had heard them. His voice was deep and low, like he was just thinking out loud, but she knew Dean didn’t talk unless he had something to say. Mercy remembered him from his days in FCW, he and Seth would put on some great technical matches, but he was too wild for her to hang out with. In fact, no one hung out with him because he was a raging alcoholic that no one could stand. She wondered what brought that change about.

“I can see,” she responded.

He shook his head, still not looking at her. “I don’t think you can. I think you are still expecting that self-centered kid he used to be. Personally, I think you need him to be that same guy, so that you don’t fall head over heels for him again.”

It felt like Dean had punched Mercy in the stomach. Struggling to stay still, because all she wanted to do was run away, she glared at the TV. Her nails were digging into her biceps, leaving marks behind. “Sounds like you know a lot about my love life.”

He gave a dark chuckle. “Probably more than you realize. I’ve been by his side one way or the other for the past six years. I’ve seen what he’s gone through, and I’ve seen him grow up. Hell, I’ve grown up too.” Finally, he turned to look at Mercy, catching her eye. “Maybe you should try growing up, also.”

Her mouth dropped open as Dean walked away, leaving Mercy stunned, insulted, and embarrassed.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mercy has a heart-to-heart with Royal

Lying on her couch in tiny shorts and a tank top, Mercy whined. “It’s so hot!”

Royal laughed, walking past her to the loveseat, tossing a magazine on Mercy's chest, causing her to flinch. “Use that.” She settled on the seat, propping her feet up on the coffee table, a cold beer in her hand.

Just last night at Smackdown, Mercy had been in Rhode Island, where it was 52 degrees. Now she was back home in Florida and it felt like her skin was melting off. Royal had arrived first thing in the morning with beer, donuts, and questions, while Mercy struggled with jet lag and dirty laundry.

Waving the magazine next to her face for a breeze, she watched the ceiling fan struggle to keep up with the a/c unit. “Am I going to have to call a repair man?” Mercy tossed the question out.

Royal snorted. “God you are such a baby. The a/c is working fine. It’s comfortable in here.”

She let out a whine. “I feel like I’m dying.”

Royal rolled her eyes. “Are you maybe nervous to explain the text you sent me late last night? The one about Dean putting you in your place?”

Groaning, Mercy sat up, scooping up her own beer and rubbing the bottle against her forehead. The condensation felt good on her skin. “Look, it was nothing. Dean just has a certain opinion, and that’s fine.”

Royal was silent for too long, so Mercy looked up to find Royal giving her a Bitch Please look. Mercy had spent the last 36 hours thinking about what Dean had said, and when she couldn’t stand it any longer, she had sent a text to her best friend. It may have been subconscious, but Mercy knew Royal would make her talk it out, and truthfully, it was what she needed.

Setting the bottle back down, Mercy shrugged. “Ok so he said I should grow up.”

A dubious expression crossed Royal’s face. “Well, I’m going to need some context. I mean, did you put a whoopie cushion down, or something?”

That made Mercy grin, but it was short lived. “No. Ok so basically I’ve been pretty hot and cold with Seth. Like, I’ll talk to him politely, or I’ll all but tell him to fuck off. I swing from one end of the spectrum to the other. I can’t help it. I see him and all these wild emotions build up inside of me and I feel like I’ll either jump into his arms or start to cry.”

“Ohhhh.” Royal shook her head, leaning back into the cushions.

“And then I had that blow up with Dolph. I texted you about that the other night, remember?” Mercy waited for Royal's nod before she continued. “And Seth managed to calm me down without being condescending. And when Dolph said Seth was a ladder climber, it just brought back all these feeling of not being good enough for Seth.”

Mercy was rambling, talking a mile a minute, but she couldn’t help it. The past few weeks of emotional confusion were flooding out of her.

“When he broke up with me, when he told me I wasn’t good for his career, it really messed with my self-esteem. I spent so much time replaying that day in my head. I never saw it coming. I was so focused on Dad and I being pushed out, that it never occurred to me that Seth would break up with me. In fact, Seth was kind of the last thing on my mind. I was trying to figure out how we were going to make a living.”

Royal sat forward again. “Mercy, listen, I appreciate the fact that you are having some truth spillage here, and it might be cathartic, but what does this have to do with Dean telling you to grow up? You are getting off track.”

Taking a deep breath, Mercy looked her best friend in the eye. “I’m still in love with Seth Rollins, maybe more so now than ever. And I can’t admit that to him.”

Royal gasped, standing up. “Whoa, ok, hold up, because that’s a lot, and I’m going to need a minute.” She began to pace in front of the TV. “You’ve only been around him a few weeks at most. So, what turned this light bulb on?”

Mercy spread her hands, imploring Royal to listen to her, because Mercy could convince herself to ignore these feelings, but Royal would never let her get away with it. Mercy needed to be held accountable. “We’ve both changed so much. He’s more level headed, he’s still driven, but in a more focused way. I’m less of a doormat. I have a lot to contribute to the wrestling world, and I finally have the confidence to do that. I feel like he’s less of that cocky emo kid and I’m less of the scared, reserved boss’s daughter fumbling through life.”

Still pacing, Royal waved a hand. “Yeah, but so what? Why would Dean tell you to grow up, if you have, obviously, grown the Hell up?”

Mercy bit her lip. “Because when I’m around Seth, I’m so scared and confused by the feelings that I still have for him that I revert back to the scared little girl who lashes out.”

Self-discovery was important, and admitting her failings, to herself or to those closest to her, was extremely difficult. But Mercy knew without a shadow of a doubt, she loved Seth. She had never stopped loving him, and it was time she admitted it, and Royal was cheaper than a therapist.

Royal stopped, her hands on her hips, facing Mercy. “You said you could never tell him. Why?”

Looking down from her steady glare, Mercy responded. “He can never have power over me again, Royal. Not emotionally. Because if something happens and we split up again, I don’t think I could take it.”

“You still haven’t had a full out conversation with him, have you?” she accused. Mercy just shook her head. “Because you know if you do, you’ll forgive him.”

Nodding, Mercy took a drink of her beer. “I’ll open myself up again,” she whispered.

Royal sighed, sitting next to her on the couch. “Look, you can’t have it both ways. You can’t hold the past against him, but say he’s changed and grown up. Part of growing up is hearing people out. Is understanding. I’m not saying you have to forgive and forget, but maybe talking it out will help the both of you clear the air and move on. That doesn’t mean you two hook up or get back together. Hell, you don’t even have to be friends. But really, I think you need to hear his explanation more than he needs to tell it.”

Looking over her shoulder at Royal, Mercy gave her a weak smile, eyes watery from the tears held at bay. “He broke me, Royal.”

She shook her head. “No, I think he set you up for greatness. Your relationship in FCW was doomed from the start. If you would have stayed together, neither of you would be where you are. He still would have been that petulant kid no one wanted to work with and you would have been the puppy-eyed girlfriend. You deserve more than that.”

Leaning her head on Royal's arm, she let her tears fall. “It’s still so fucking hot.”

Royal laughed, shoving Mercy off of her. “Oh my god, why do I deal with you?”


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leading up to a major PPV event, Seth and Mercy get closer

It was a major pay-per-view weekend, and everyone was in New York City for the event. The schedule was packed with live events, meet and greets, signings, NXT’s PPV, and the main roster PPV. It was hectic, and Mercy had decided to help keep the Talent on track with their appearances. Leaning against the wall in the swanky hotel lobby, she had her head down, texting with Ember Moon about what time she needed to get to the tent that was set up at the arena for her meet and greet.

“You look nice.”

Looking up, Seth was standing in front of Mercy wearing track pants and a BlackCraft Cult t-shirt, with a backwards baseball cap on his head. How he could look so lazy and still be so handsome confused her.

“Hi,” she responded, trying to ignore the buzzing of the phone in her hand. Mercy was wearing skinny jeans with black stilettos and a red spaghetti strapped tank. Not her usual outfit, but she was giving it a try. “These heels are killing me.”

He laughed, shoving his hands in his pockets. “I’d fall over.”

Grinning at him, Mercy laughed. “Rollins in heels? I’d pay money to see that.”

Looking over his shoulder at something she couldn’t see, he agreed with her before turning back around. “Yeah, you and a lot of other people. Well, I’ll see you around.”

Mercy's smile faded, watching as he went to leave. She had noticed that he kept his conversations with her short, swooping in to make her laugh and then disappearing before she could snap at him or kick him in the shins. “Hey Seth!” Mercy called out, stopping him. When he looked back at her, she kept going, pushing her hesitation to the side. It was now or never. “Why did you never call me?”

For a moment, he dipped his head, looking at the marble floor of the lobby. When he raised his head again, Mercy could see he was struggling. “What I have to say needs to be said face to face.”

Gripping her phone harder in her hand, she took the plunge. “You should use my number this weekend.”

A slow, flirty smile crossed his face, and Mercy felt herself respond to him in kind. “Oh, should I? Maybe tonight?”

Pressing her shoulders against the cold wall to stem the heat that flushed through her, she tried to appear nonchalant. “Maybe.”

He only laughed, heading through the double doors to the busy NYC streets outside. Blowing out a breath, Mercy closed her eyes. There. That was done. First step completed. She put herself out there, now she just had to follow through if he called.

In her hand, Mercy's phone buzzed again. Ember was freaking out because she hadn’t responded. Sighing, she typed out a quick reply, assuring her that everything was fine and all she had to do was get in the car that was arranged for her and go meet people.

Deciding it was time that she took care of herself, she headed to the restaurant inside the hotel, grabbing brunch because she didn’t have time that morning to have actual breakfast. Sitting alone, looking out of the window watching cars and people go by, her phone buzzed again.

**_Seth:_ ** _Is it bad that I couldn’t wait more than an hour to text you?_

Grinning like an idiot, Mercy read Seth’s text message. As the Talent Liaison, she had everyone’s phone numbers in her contacts list. Even Seth’s. Biting her lip, she typed a reply back.

**_Mercy:_ ** _New phone who dis?_

**_Seth:_ ** _So mean to me…._

**_Mercy:_ ** _I’m pretty sure I said call me. Not text me_

**_Seth:_ ** _No, you said to use your number. I’m using it_

**_Mercy:_ ** _Semantics_

**_Seth:_ ** _You know I’m right_

**_Mercy:_  ** _Is there something you needed? I’m busy._

She looked around, hoping the few people who were eating around her couldn’t hear her giggles. Trying to quiet herself, she took a bite of eggs before reading his next message.

**_Seth_ : ** _I have a laundry list of things I need_

**_Mercy:_ ** _I don’t do laundry_

**_Seth:_ ** _Do you just buy new clothes everyday or something? Everyone does laundry._

This time, Mercy had to put a hand over her mouth to quell her laughter. She wasn't sure when Seth got so funny, but it was endearing her to him in a big way.

**_Mercy:_ ** _I do my own laundry. I don’t do anyone else’s_

**_Seth:_ ** _What if my washer broke? What if I spilled something on my pants and I was walking around looking like I peed myself?_

**_Mercy:_ ** _Go to a laundry mat_

**_Seth:_ ** _God, you are a cruel, cruel woman_

Curious as to what he was doing, she pulled up the Talent schedule on her phone. Checking the time, Mercy's eyes almost bugged out of her head.

**_Mercy:_ ** _You better not be making those fans wait for you while you send me dumb messages. Go do your job!_

**_Seth:_ ** _Bossy….I like it_

Closing her eyes in exasperation, she set the phone down next to her plate. Shaking her head, she opened her eyes and finished eating, enjoying the quiet clink of silverware and murmured conversations. All too soon, it was time for Mercy to meet the Creative team for a conference, so she stood and headed for Ballroom B, where long tables were set in a square, with chairs to the outside, so that everyone could see each other.

The meeting was progressive, but boring, and Mercy didn’t have much to contribute. But still, she listened, interested to see how the weekend would play out storyline wise, and what she might need to navigate with passing along information to the Talent.

Even with her phone on silent, she was still getting text messages from some of the Talent, and she could see her phone lighting up with each new one received. Mercy scanned them, making sure they weren’t important, but left most unread.

Until Seth’s name popped up.

**_Seth:_ ** _Did I forget to tell you that those heels were probably the most amazing things I have ever seen in my life?_

Trying to smother her grin, Mercy picked up her phone, casting glances at the team surrounding her. Most were on their phones too, talking and typing at the same time. Figuring she could multi-task too, she opened his message.

**_Mercy:_ ** _If you want, I can see if they come in your size_

**_Seth:_ ** _You couldn’t handle how good my ass would look in those shoes_

Mercy covered her snicker with a fake sneeze, politely taking the napkin that was offered to her by the man to her left.

**_Mercy:_ ** _I’d be super intimidated and jealous_

**_Seth:_ ** _As you should be_

Biting her lip, she put her phone down, determined to focus on the conversations going on around her. She needed to pay attention and stop flirting with her ex-boyfriend.

“Ok so Rollins and Ziggler. IC Championship on the line,” someone announced, catching Mercy's attention. Triple H was at the head of the table, shuffling papers, but it wasn’t him who spoke.

“I like where this is going,” he said, looking up. “I don’t think we have to mess with this one too much. Seth and Dolph are really good at playing it out, letting it evolve. We need something for Drew though. He can’t keep playing second fiddle to Ziggler.”

Taking a chance, Mercy spoke up. “What about a side feud with Ambrose? It’s a unique dynamic. McIntyre is very focused and is like a freight train. Ambrose can be erratic and tricky. Seeing that play out while Rollins and Ziggler finish their feud might give both McIntyre and Ambrose the stepping stone they need until we have something else for them.” She shrugged. “McIntyre has only been back a hot minute. Ambrose has been Rollins’ wing man for too long.”

Excited conversations began to flow around the room, the team seemingly liking her idea. Triple H caught Mercy's eye and grinned, then leaned over to talk to the person beside him.

Shortly after, the meeting ended, and Mercy was back on scheduling duty. As she left the conference room, Triple H caught up with her. “I’m glad you spoke up. Don’t hesitate if you have an idea. Even if it doesn’t work now, it might work later.”

Grinning at him, Mercy kept pace beside him. “Does that mean I get a finder’s fee?”

He only laughed, turning down a hallway leaving her to head to the elevators on her own. She needed to find Nia, to give her the latest update on her storyline.

Before Mercy could send her a text, Seth’s name showed up on her phone, the ring startling her. Answering, she stopped walking in the middle of the hallway.

“Hello?”

_“This is me calling you.”_

Mercy rolled her eyes, trying her hardest to not laugh. “It’s nice to know that you can use a phone for its intended purpose.”

She heard him chuckle, and the sound of moving cars behind him.  _“I can also take directions.”_

“I’m beginning to believe that your sexual tastes have changed in the last few years. First you tell me you like bossy, then you say you would look better in my heels than I would, and now you inform me you can take directions. Got kinks, Seth?” Internally, Mercy was groaning. Flirting with Seth was a surefire way to get in trouble. But it was thrilling, and it made her smile, and it made her feel more alive than she had in a long time.

 _“Wouldn’t you like to know.”_  His voice had a direct line to Mercy's hoohah, and she was absolutely paying attention to the banter.

“We’ll save that for another time. What are you calling me for?” Thinking it was best to try to get off the phone with him as soon as possible before she talked herself into a hole, Mercy tried to move the conversation along.

Car doors slammed, and the background noise got quieter. Mercy assumed he had gotten into a vehicle, but she wasn't sure.

_“I’m calling to ask if you’d like to get together later. We can hang out at the bar, or in the hotel lobby, a nice, public, open space so that if you feel like you have to run, you can bolt at any time.”_

She felt as if he was teasing her, but realistically, he wasn’t wrong. Running was always on her mind when she got face to face with Seth, but she knew Royal was right. She needed to hear him out. “I’m on call until late tonight if there are scheduling issues with the Talent, but I can have a drink or two while I monitor my phone.”

_“Great. Let’s meet at 8. I’m old and I need my beauty sleep.”_

Mercy rolled her eyes. “I’m leaving that one alone. I’ll meet you at 8 in the bar.”

Before she hung up, she heard him calling to her.  _“Hey, Mercy, wear those heels.”_

“Bye Seth!” she exclaimed, exasperated, pressing END on the phone.

She was absolutely going to be wearing those heels.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Explanation....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I rewrote this part like three times, and reading it back, it goes fast to me still. I wanted it to be slow, plod along a little, but I don’t think that comes across. With that being said, I hope you all enjoy it, because the next part….the slow burn ignites….

The hotel room was a mess and Mercy was almost in tears. Her phone was set up on the dresser, Royal’s annoyed face looking back at her over FaceTime as Mercy tossed clothes haphazardly across the space.

 _“Mercy, for God’s sake, you are driving me crazy! Do not get dressed up for that man! He hasn’t earned that yet!_ ”

Digging through her suitcase Mercy pulled out a black semi-see through blouse with sequins on the hem. Holding it up to her chest she turned towards the phone. “How about this one?”

_“Mercy! Put that down! What you are wearing is fine. I mean, I’d throw a sweater on over it to cover more skin, but it’s fine.”_

Frustrated Mercy plopped down on the end of the bed, facing the phone. “Why didn’t I bring that cute top I got last week?”

On the screen Royal get really close to the phone, enlarging her face.  _“Start talking. What’s wrong with you?”_

Trying to control her breathing and doing everything she could to hold back tears, Mercy shrugged. “I want to look nice.”

Royal shook her head.  _“Nope. That’s not it, because you already look nice. Try again.”_

Mercy used her toe to push at a spot on the carpet, casting her eyes downward. “I want to look sexy,” she muttered, but Royal heard her loud and clear.

She shifted, leaning back, and Mercy could see her boyfriend Trey on the couch behind her. He seemed to be pretty engrossed in a football game on the TV.  _“Girl, if you want to get laid, just come out and say it. It’s fine. But I’m telling you, he hasn’t earned that yet. And I don’t think you are ready. Throw on a sweater, wipe your face and go down there to hear him out. After that, if you still feel the same way, have at it. I do not want you to go down there and make it easy on him!”_

It never ceased to amaze Mercy how Royal could say exactly what she needed to hear, and also give her a reality check at the same time. She was extremely supportive, and if Mercy called her the next day and told her she had fallen into bed with Seth and never heard his explanation, Royal would sigh and then ask for details in almost the same breath.

Looking back at her face on the phone, Mercy said, “I wish you were here. I’d feel so much stronger.”

She smiled.  _“You are going to be fine. It’s just nerves talking.”_  Royal leaned forward close to the phone again.  _“Wait, is that my shirt?”_

Ignoring her, because, yes, it was her shirt, Mercy spoke to Trey. “Trey, do you have any advice?”

Trey was a sweet man, good to everyone around him, and didn’t mind taking the backseat to Royal’s antics. He adored her and treated her like the queen she was, which only enamored Mercy to him more. Royal deserved only good things in her life. Looking at the screen, Trey shrugged.  _“I’d say listen to him, be critical, ask questions, and take no shit. And if at anytime you feel uncomfortable, you bail. You owe him nothing.”_

Royal nodded. _“And remember, if after he’s done explaining, you still don’t forgive him, that’s fine. Don’t pressure yourself.”_

Mercy was close to tears again, but this time they were happy tears. Royal and Trey had managed to calm her down and build her up. “Thanks guys. I better go, I’ve only got about 20 minutes left to pull myself together.”

Trey called out, _“Clean that room! If you invite him up it looks like Macy’s threw up in there!”_

Laughing, she waved at the couple, blowing kisses to Royal, and ended the call. Looking around, Mercy agreed with Trey. She had made a huge mess, and now she had to clean herself and the room up. Quickly grabbing clothes strewn all over the room, she folded them and put them back in her suitcase, hanging up the ones that needed doing so. Rushing into the bathroom, she almost groaned when she saw her face. Puffy eyes, red splotches on her face, limp hair, if she was going for sexy, this wasn’t helping.

Setting to work, Mercy washed her face, better to work from a blank canvas than to try to cover up. Quickly she put on makeup, ran a comb through her hair, and put it up in a ponytail. Stepping back from the mirror, she was surprised that she had managed to salvage herself, and she gave a nod. Good enough. Not over the top, and not underwhelming.

Mercy was still in the clothes she was in earlier in the day when she saw Seth, Royal’s red shirt and her own jeans. Strapping on her heels while sitting on the bed, picking up her purse, she took a deep breath and then let it out. A quick look at the clock confirmed it was 7:58pm, giving Mercy enough time to take the elevator ride downstairs, not arriving on time, but close enough that she didn’t seem overeager.

If Seth was late, she was going to roast his ass.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Seth was there, standing in front of the entrance to the bar in the hotel lobby. Dressed in black skinny jeans, another BlackCraft Cult t-shirt, and Vans, with that hat still on his head, Mercy almost laughed to herself. For Seth, this was pretty dressed up, and she had been upstairs in her room having a panic attack over a shirt.

Seth looked at his phone then back up at Mercy. “What, you can’t tell time?”

Grinning, she came to a stop in front of him, almost pleasantly surprised to find that in her heels, she came to just about eyeline with him. “My time is precious. I was busy doing other things.”

He chuckled, gesturing for her to walk ahead of him into the bar. Mercy might have put a little extra sway in her steps, hoping he was looking at her ass, while managing to appear as if noticing that type of thing was below her. Picking a round booth in the back corner of the bar, she slid in, startled when he sat down next to her.

“Um, excuse me, but there is a whole booth here. Go sit on that side,” she pointed with her finger.

Gracing Mercy with a half grin, he leaned in close to her. “It’s a round booth, Sweetheart, there are no sides.”

Her breath caught in her chest, eyes on his lips as if mesmerized. Deep down, her hoohah reminded Mercy that she remembered exactly what he could do with that mouth. Clearing her throat, Mercy rolled her eyes.

Laughing under his breath, he stood. “I’ll get our drinks.”

“Vodka cranberry,” she called as he walked away. Taking a moment to do a quick deep breathing exercise, she rubbed her hands on her legs, realizing that they were sweaty. All she needed was to get through this, and if it was awkward, well, it was awkward. It had to be done. Mercy's eyes found a TV screen that was hanging on the wall, and she let her attention drift.

_Standing close together in a cinder block hallway at the armory, overhead lights flickering on and off, people pushing past and the sound of the ruckus crowd echoing off the walls, tears flowing down her face…_

_“I can’t, Mercy. Something like this could ruin my career. Do you even understand what your Dad has done? And how could you not know?”_

_She choked on her sobs, her hand lifting to place on his sweaty, bare chest. He had just finished a match and he was in his trunks and had a towel in his hand. His hair was fluffy, her favorite, and all she wanted was for him to hold her. In the last 24 hours, her life had come crashing down around her, and he was mad. At her.  “Seth, please…”_

_“You need to leave. If I’m seen with you, people might think I was in on it.” He pushed her hand away and took a step back. “I’m serious, Mercy. We’re done. I don’t associate with people like you.”_

_His words felt like he had slapped her in the face, and she physically stumbled backwards. “Don’t do this. I need you. I feel like I’m drowning,” she cried._

_Seth’s brown eyes locked onto hers, but the expression was one she had never seen directed at her before. “Get away from me.” Every word was ground out through clenched teeth, then he turned and stomped off, leaving her gasping for air against the wall._

“Here you go.”

Seth’s voice in Mercy's ear and the sound of the glass being set in front of her almost made her scream, but she managed to choke it down. “Thanks,” she said, giving him a half-hearted smile.

He sighed, making a show of arranging his drink on a small, square napkin. “I’ve wanted this for so long, had planned this out every step of the way, but now that this moment is here, I don’t know where to start.”

With the memory of their break up fresh on her mind, Mercy bit her lip. “Why don’t you start with the night you broke up with me. Tell me what was going through your head.” She tossed him a small bone, something to get him started, and for her to get some answers. No matter how painful it might be.

He nodded, taking a sip of his beer. It was odd seeing him with an alcoholic beverage. In FCW he was completely Straight Edge, and was adamant to the point of being obnoxious about it. It was a strange counterpart to Ambrose, who’s best matches were when he was drunk as Hell.

Seth cleared his throat and looked up in the general direction of the ceiling. “I was a selfish, self-serving bastard and that night was the lowest I’ve ever been. And I don’t mean mentally. I mean in how I acted. I treated you like dirt and just left you there, with no regard for you at all.”

Ok, well, truly, that wasn’t a surprise. It wasn’t a revelation that Seth used to be an asshole, and even hearing it now sounded like he was talking about someone else.

“Half the stuff that came out of my mouth was like having an out of body experience. All I could think about was me. My job, my reputation, my life. And during our whole relationship, that’s how I treated you. I came first. But that night I was the scum of the Earth.” He sighed, finally looking at Mercy. “I was in a panic. I failed you by not standing by your side, ever, and that night is the one moment that I truly regret as a human being.”

That was damn convincing, but she steeled herself. This wasn’t over. “For my own peace of mind, Seth, I have to ask. Did you ever love me?”

“No,” he didn’t hesitate, and Mercy felt her heart stutter. Her expression must have reflected her horror because he put his hand out, imploring Mercy to let him explain. “I didn’t love anyone but myself, Mercy. I was singularly focused on my goal and I didn’t have the capacity for anything else. I should have. I should have loved you. You deserved that, Hell, you even earned that, standing by my side, picking me up when I needed it, dealing with my after match tantrums. Looking back, I can see how much you loved me. But at the time, it never occurred to me.”

She had to look away from him, just for a moment. Taking a drink, she set it back down and ran her finger through the condensation. “I think I’m just now realizing how differently we each saw our relationship. And that’s a tough pill to swallow.”

He nodded. “At the time, I felt like a teenager with a work ethic of a hardened iron worker. I was immature. Yeah, you were my girlfriend, but that didn’t mean much except one person to have sex with.”

Mercy rolled her eyes, giving him a disdainful look. “I’m so glad I was worth at least that.”

His hand flew in the air. “Exactly! That’s what I’m saying! I had zero comprehension of how life worked. All I knew was what I wanted, what I was willing to do or not do to get there, and anyone who stood in my way was going to regret it. Which means you got tossed to the side as soon as you became a ‘problem.’” He threw up air quotes, and she had to laugh.

“Ok,” Mercy ventured on, “so when did you start changing? This version of Seth is so different from the version I knew.”

Seth was quiet a moment, drinking his beer, really thinking about it. “It’s taken me a long time to get here. In all honesty, I had my ah-ha moment shortly after Triple H put the NXT Championship belt on me. He pulled me to the side and said something to the effect of, ‘You wanted this, now here it is. What you do with it determines how successful this brand is.’ And all I could think of was, ‘I wish Mercy was here so she could see where I am now.’” He gave a dark chuckle. “Even in that moment, I was wishing for you to be nearby, but it was for me. To show you that I did it.”

She watched as he began peeling the label off the beer bottle. He seemed nervous, more nervous at that moment than she’d ever seen him.

“When Reigns, Ambrose and I got called up to the main roster, it was like a dream come true. It was like everything I could ever ask for. And I remember Reigns saying to Ambrose and me that we had to be a unit, that we needed to depend on each other more than ever, and we had to be careful who we allowed in our inner circle. It hit me like a ton of bricks. You were the only person who stood in the line of fire with me and came out the other side, still cheering for me. And I tossed you aside like garbage.”

Mercy put her hand on his wrist. “Thank you for breaking up with me.”

Quickly he turned his head to look at her. “What?”

“Listen, that was the roughest week of my life, back then. I lost my job, I lost my boyfriend, and then I lost my dad. But if I didn’t go through that experience, I wouldn’t be who I am today, and I really like who I am now.”

Seth smiled at her, a smile full of mutual understanding. “I like who you are now too. And I like who I am. I mean, I can still be pretty bullish, but not nearly as bad.”

Needing to dissipate the serious air, she flicked her finger at his hat. “And thank God you got rid of that blonde streak.”

Gently knocking her hand to the side, he laughed. “You dyed it!”

“You asked me too! Something about needing to stand out. Well you stood out. For years!”

He sobered up, his gaze locked on hers. “It took me a long time to get rid of it, and I felt like I was subconsciously holding onto the last piece of you I had.”

Gah! Knife, right to the heart! Quickly Mercy had to look away to blink the tears back. Clearing her throat, she pushed her now empty glass at him. “And on that note, I need another drink!”


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seth and Mercy try to meet in the middle, and walls start to crumble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY! SMUT! Romantic smut at that. Ok, so it’s not like, candles and roses romantic, its more of a feeling. Anyway, I’m not a great smut writer, but it is what it is. Constructive Criticism is welcome, all others will be burned at the stake. Reactions give me life, and make me write faster! Thanks for sticking with me on this slow burn!

Stumbling into her hotel room at nearly one in the morning, Mercy yawned, closing the door behind her and locking it. Her feet were killing her from wearing those ridiculous heels, and she made herself a promise that she was going to wear boots for the rest of the trip. Kicking them off, she plopped down at the end of the bed, eyeballing her suitcase on opposite bed. Mercy was exhausted and a tad bit tipsy. Did she want to try to find her pajamas? Or sleep in her underwear? Decisions, decisions.

In the end, digging through her suitcase was just too much effort. Pulling her clothes off, Mercy whipped off her strapless bra with a sigh of relief and grabbed the first shirt she saw in her bag. Looking down, Mercy rolled her eyes. It was CrossFit Jesus shirt. Of course it was.

Knowing she would regret not wiping the makeup off her face in the morning, she pulled her ponytail down and grabbed the sheets to get ready to climb into the bed. A knock at the door interrupted her. Groaning, Mercy dropped the sheets and went to the door, looking through the peephole to find Seth on the other side.

Looking down at her body, she groaned again, this time at herself. No pants, his t-shirt, buzzed as Hell, Mercy was a mess. “What’s up, Seth?” she called through the door.

“Hey,” his voice was muffled. “Sorry to bug you. You left your purse downstairs in the bar and the bartender called me because my room number was on the tab.” He lifted her purse so she could see it through the peep hole.

Mercy couldn’t help herself. “It really matches your outfit.”

Seeing his genuine smile made her body sing. “I’ll let you borrow it if you open the door. I can’t walk through walls. Which is very inconvenient.”

He had no right to be both charming and funny. Pressing her forehead against the door, she called to him. “Just leave it next to the door. I’ll get it.”

“I’m not leaving your purse in the hallway.” His tone was indignant, like Mercy had asked him to kick a dog.

“Seth, really, it’s fine. I’ll pick it up really quick.”

“Not happening. I’ll just take it to my room and you can get it tomorrow.”

Frustration welled up in her, and before she could stop herself, Mercy had thrown the lock and pulled the door open so hard it slammed against the wall. “Give me the damn purse!”

To his credit, Seth didn’t flinch. “All this time arguing with me, and you could have been putting on pants. Hey, my shirt looks good on you though.”

Growling, Mercy grabbed his arm and pulled him into the room slamming the door shut. “I’m going to punch you in the mouth, get in here!”

Laughing, Seth made his way inside, the space feeling so much smaller with him in it. Tossing her purse onto the desk, he sat on the bed. “Damn, you haven’t changed at all. This place is a pigsty!”

Snorting, she walked past him to grab her phone out of her purse. No emergency calls or texts, thank God. “You should have seen it earlier. This is Mr. Clean compared to then.”

While Mercy put her phone on charge, she looked up in the mirror to see Seth staring at her bare legs. Flushing, she quickly looked down, wondering why she wasn’t running off into the bathroom, or why she had pulled him into the room to begin with. Blaming her decision making on the alcohol, she turned around, leaning against the desk. As she did, Mercy discovered that Seth had stood up, and was now face to face with her, her chest almost touching his, and her breathing hitched, causing her nipples to brush against him through their shirts.

“Please tell me you want this,” Seth breathed, sounding vulnerable and hesitant. His eyes were glued to Mercy's, his hands straight down by his sides, but it felt as if he had wrapped himself around her.

All throughout the night Mercy had prided herself at not flirting with Seth, being friendly, building a new base with him. A new beginning. Sure, she was attracted to him, and she knew she loved him, but she wasn’t sure she was ready to trust him, to allow him to come into her life again.

Meeting his gaze, making sure he understood, Mercy put her hand on his chest, the memory of that night in the armory coming back to haunt her. “I’m scared.”

Still, Seth refused to touch her. “I am too,” he admitted, rocking her world. Those were words she never imagined coming out of his mouth. “I’m scared I’m going to hurt you, no matter how hard I try to do the right thing. I’m scared you’ll tell me no, and I’ll leave here, respecting you, but missing a piece of my heart. I’m scared you’ll tell me yes and I’ll let you down.”

Emotions rolled through Mercy, and as much as she wanted to comfort him, he needed to hear what she had to say. “I’m scared I’ll say yes and you’ll leave me again. I’m scared that you’ll put your career ahead of me, like you did before. I’m scared I’ll say no and regret it for the rest of my life.”

Sighing, Seth leaned forward, kissing her forehead, and then took a step back. She was grateful for the space, but was instantly cold, and Mercy had to stop herself from reaching for him. She hadn’t realized how much warmth he provided.

“Where does this leave us?” he asked.

Mercy shrugged. “I don’t really know. Maybe we have more work to do.”

Slowly he nodded. “I’m not looking for a one off, Mercy. If you want this, I’m in it for the long haul.”

With that said, he turned to leave, walking to the door. In that split second, a million thoughts ran through Mercy's head. Could she live with the regret? Could she stand seeing him every week knowing that the moment had passed? Could she just be friends with him? He was offering her more, and the willingness to work everything out. He was willing to take the time, and she was standing there, scared, afraid to take the chance.

“Seth!” Mercy called out. He turned back to her, his expression resigned. “Don’t leave yet.”

He stood there, not moving, waiting for her decision. Refusing to hesitate anymore, Mercy all but leaped into his arms. He caught her, his lips coming down on hers and it felt like coming home. Wrapping her arms and legs around him, feeling his hands on her hips, Mercy reached up and grabbed his hat, throwing it across the room.

“Am I going to be able to find that later?” he mumbled, pressing kisses down her throat to her collarbone.

Sighing in sheer pleasure, she tilted her head back. “I don’t care.”

Chuckling, Seth lightly bit the skin between her neck and her shoulder, licking away the hurt immediately after. “That’s my favorite hat.”

“I’m more important than a hat.”

“Yes, you are,” he replied, moving his hands to Mercy's ass. Pulling his lips to hers again, she forced him to stop talking by taking control. Their tongues dueled, and lips were nibbled, moans echoing in her ears. Squeezing her legs tighter, she rubbed herself against Seth’s jeans, feeling wetness coat her thighs.

Swiftly, Seth walked them to the bed, laying Mercy down on the covers. Before laying down, he stopped, looking intensely in her eyes. “Are you sure? I need to ask before we get much further. Because if I have to leave, I’d rather it be now.”

Reaching up to grip his shirt in her hand, she tugged. Not hard, not enough to bring him down to her, just enough to make sure he knew she was serious. “I don’t want you to leave. I want you to stay.”

Still, he seemed to hesitate, warring with himself internally. No matter that Mercy had made her decision, and she was ready, she had to respect Seth enough to allow him to be ready too. Patiently she waited, watching him, taking stock of his body, so different from years ago, stronger, defined, confident. Mercy knew she was different too, a woman with a woman’s curves, wider hips, softer belly, fuller breasts. But she wasn’t ashamed. And with the way Seth’s eyes lit up when he saw her, Mercy knew he wanted her.

Suddenly, he was on top of her, and she could hear his shoes drop to the floor as he toed them off. Laughing and wrapping her arms around his neck, she rained kisses across his face. “Convince yourself?”

Growling, he began tugging at Mercy's shirt. “If we are going to do this, you have to take this off because I can’t eat you out with CrossFit Jesus staring at me.”

She let out another belt of laughter, struggling to get away from him and keep her shirt on. “You leave CrossFit Jesus alone.” She flipped over with the intention of crawling up the bed, but Seth was a step ahead of her.

His hand came down hard on Mercy's lace clad ass, causing her to shriek, then moan. Before she could understand what just happened, her face was pressed against the mattress, ass in the air, underwear around her knees, and Seth’s bearded face was between her legs. His lips sucked hard on Mercy's clit while his nose went straight into her core, juices dripping down his face. The hair on his face scraped deliciously against the delicate skin of her thighs, adding another layer of tension she had never experienced before. Swirling his tongue around, he grabbed her thighs, holding her firm against his face. Gasps panted out of her, and she felt dizzy with the speed in which he was eating her out.

“Seth, oh my God. Seth!”

Pulling away, he mumbled against her slit, “I’m not God, I’m CrossFit Jesus.”

Mercy's laughter was cut short by Seth pushing two fingers inside of her at the same time he sucked hard on her clit. Her whole body was shaking, and her eyes went blurry, so she closed them to stop the room spinning. Rapidly he moved his hand in time with his tongue and teeth, sending Mercy on a spiral of feelings and emotions she wasn’t ready to handle.

Gripping the sheet with one hand, Mercy reached back to touch Seth’s hair, almost yanking him against her when he brushed her clit with his tongue. “Fuck, Seth, do it again!” Pulling him to her, rocking back on her knees, she added friction to his meandering tongue, all the while his fingers pressed into her.

He hummed against her, clearly liking the aggressiveness she showed. She had to let go of his hair as she felt her orgasm approaching. Both hands now clenched beside her head, Mercy tensed against the knot in her stomach, her first instinct to stop the coming onslaught, but Seth was having none of that.

Flipping Mercy over with minimal effort, he raised her hips into his hands, bringing her to his mouth as he got up on his knees, almost putting Mercy into a headstand. Her back was against his torso and thighs, neck against the bed, as he continued eating her out like a man possessed. Mercy's shirt was bunched under her armpits, breasts on full display. The two of them locked eyes, and Mercy felt her orgasm punch through her, letting go like fireworks in the sky.

“Seth! Now! I’m cumming, oh my God!”

He didn’t relent, and she locked her legs around his neck, smothering him as she tensed, her whole body shaking as her arms flailed around for something to grab hold of to keep herself steady. Seth caught Mercy's hands, folding them across her stomach as he suckled at her clit, occasionally darting his tongue into her to catch more wetness.

Slowly, Mercy came back to Earth, small convulsions rocking through her. Seth laid her down, sliding off the bed to take his shirt and jeans off. That sight alone almost caused another orgasm. There was something profoundly different when he was stripping for Mercy than when he was shirtless for the WWE crowd or in basketball shorts while working out. This was hers. This was his gift to her. Complete vulnerability. And she cherished it.

Gingerly she sat up, sliding her panties all the way off and getting rid of her shirt. Fully naked, Mercy sat before him, waiting for his move.

He reached out, running his hand down the side of her face. “When we were together before, sex was pretty cut and dry, right?”

What was she supposed to say to that? Yeah, pretty much it was missionary or doggy. But she had no complaints, especially in the oral department. So, what was the right answer?

Thankfully he didn’t wait for one. “Let’s do something different. Ride me.”

Small explosions went off in Mercy's hoohah at those words, and she was sure her eyes went as big as saucers. Seth walked around to the other side of the bed where there was more room and laid down. As distracted as she was by the sight of his ass, which was absolutely bigger than it used to be, his dick standing straight up immediately caught her attention. Was she so distracted by his ass that she missed him taking off his boxer briefs?

“You sure are quiet over there,” Seth’s voice broke through Mercy's drifting thoughts and she turned to him. At every step of this, Seth had constantly questioned both of them, trying to go slow, trying to make sure at each stage she was ok. It was her turn to reassure him.

Coming up on her knees, Mercy leaned over him, giving him a thorough kiss to settle his nerves. She wasn't going to leave, she wasn't going to reject him, and she was going to work this out with him, and she explained that all in that one kiss.

Keeping her lips on his, she straddled him, reaching between her legs to wrap her hand around his dick and rub it through her folds, coating him in her wetness. He moaned, his hands playing with her tits, squeezing them and pinching the nipples as he pleased.

Mercy lowered herself down, breath caught in her throat, causing her to leave Seth’s mouth and sit up straight in order to get air in her lungs. Fully seated, her thighs pressed tight against his sides, she felt as if lightening was zipping through her veins.

“Home,” Seth moaned, his hands finding their place on Mercy's hips, unknowingly echoing her thoughts from just a few minutes ago.

His whispered word made Mercy's eyes tear up, and she looked down at him, letting him see it. He only looked up at her with complete trust as she began to move, using a rocking motion instead of up and down. If she was going to ride him, she was going to make him feel as good as he made her feel.

Putting one hand low on his stomach, her fingernails dragging through his happy trail, she began a slow grind. Mercy's other hand caught his, and the two of them held hands.

“You look beautiful, Baby,” he moaned, eyes drifting down her body to where they met. Occasionally his hips would buck up, but for the most part he tried to stay still for her.

“Faster?” she asked, breath short.

He shook his head. “No, just like this. Get yourself off, I want to watch you again.”

Mercy's clit dragged against his shaft, sending delicious vibrations throughout her body. Tilting her head back, she felt more than heard his groan as her hair danced across his thighs, her ass rubbing his lap. Whatever came after this day, nothing could ever match this moment. She knew it intrinsically. This moment in time would never leave her.

Mercy's orgasm hit her without warning, taking her by surprise. It was a slow burn, like a lit match being consumed. Her hips stuttered, and Seth gripped her tight, moving her, keeping the fire going until she collapsed on his chest.

“Shit,” he groaned. He lifted his hips off the bed, planting his feet, rapidly thrusting his cock deep inside Mercy, causing her to scream his name and almost black out from pleasure. He was unrelenting, his arms wrapped around her back holding tight, lips pressed against her temple. It was all she could do to hold on.

His breath was uneven, and his grunting loud, even as she felt him fill her up with cum. “Seth!” she exclaimed. Stupidly, neither of them had discussed birth control, condoms, or pulling out. Suddenly it was too late.

“I’m sorry!” he panicked, rearing back to look at Mercy's face. “I’m so sorry!”

She couldn’t help but laugh at his expression. “I’m on birth control, you are safe. I’m not trying to trap you.”

Sighing, he pulled her close, kissing her forehead in a gesture she was rapidly beginning to love. “That was pretty dumb, but it felt amazing.”

Laying there on his chest, listening to his heart slow to a normal rhythm and bask in the afterglow, Mercy felt an inner peace that she wasn’t sure she knew existed.

“I love you, Mercy, more than you’ll ever know.”


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after, and Mercy is still fighting with herself, but there is one thing she can’t deny, she wants Seth Rollins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *warning* aggressive shower sex with hint of dominance and jealousy sprinkled in for fun

Sitting in the chair next to the window in her hotel room, Mercy watched the sun come up over the horizon. A warm cup of coffee was in her hands, bare legs tucked up beside her, and her CrossFit Jesus shirt was back on her body. The room was quiet, Seth still asleep in the bed, and she switched from watching the sunrise to his sleeping face.

Mentally, Mercy was a bit numb. Physically, she was exhausted. Seth was near insatiable, and after he had finally drifted off, she had climbed out of bed, needing a bit of space to think.

No matter how prepared she might have been, no matter that he professed his love for her, Mercy was still unsure. She had hope, but she couldn’t help but hold her heart a little bit closer, afraid to relinquish it fully in his care. He had shattered it once before, and to allow him to do it again would be foolish.

She didn’t regret one moment, not one. But it didn’t hurt to be cautious, did it?

Beside her, Mercy's phone buzzed. Looking down, she saw a text from Royal. She was up early on a Saturday, which was unusual. But judging by the gif she had sent, she all too aware of what time it was.

 **Royal:**  

[Originally posted by ba1n3s](https://tmblr.co/ZYoHRx20FXobC)

**Mercy:**  

[Originally posted by rejected-on-a-cosmic-level](https://tmblr.co/Zm8bNf2PuJ5GZ)

**Royal:**  Lies! I want details!

 **Mercy:** Are you psychic?

 **Royal:**  Nah girl, I just know you like the back of my hand

Quickly Mercy snapped a picture of Seth sleeping and sent it to Royal. Proof of sorts.

 **Royal:**  Goddamn, how is he still that hot looking all fluffy and ruffled? What the Hell did you do to him?!

 **Mercy:** I’m insulted. I did nothing to him. He did a lot of things to me though

 **Royal:**  That’s my girl

Smiling, Mercy took a drink of her coffee. Traffic was beginning to move on the streets below, slowly filling up as NYC woke up and got the day started. Seth would probably wake up soon himself to go to the gym, while Mercy would grab three donuts and hopefully take a nap.

 **Royal:**  Are you brooding?

 **Mercy:** You really are psychic

 **Royal:**  Stop that shit right now. You made your choice. Stand by it

 **Mercy:** What if it’s the wrong choice?

 **Royal:**  I’m betting you already went through this mental argument on your own, so I’m not going to repeat it

There she went being the voice of reason again. No use trying to get hysterics out of Royal, she wasn’t going to deliver. If Mercy wanted drama, she needed to find someone else for that.

 **Mercy:**  In a non-morbid way, I’m hoping he doesn’t wake up. I don’t want the fairytale to be ruined

 **Royal:**  Sounds like if he doesn’t wake up you’ll talk yourself out of the fairytale

**Mercy:**

[Originally posted by artsy-blog-aesthetic](https://tmblr.co/Zzu_9f2LRXI9C)

**Royal:**  You should go wake him up and keep that fairytale alive

Casting a glance at Seth, she had to give Royal credit, that was some amazing advice. Her mind wandered over the different ways to wake him up, but none really caught her fancy. But one idea did stick out the most, and she hoped Seth wouldn’t mind.

 **Mercy:** That’s it, I’m calling it, you are psychic!

 **Royal:**  Omg! Don’t text me while you are doing the do, you perv!

Grinning, Mercy put her phone on the chair as she stood, then put her coffee cup on the nightstand next to Seth. Looking down at him, she agreed with Royal. Even completely disheveled, he was breathtakingly handsome.

Lifting the sheets, Mercy slid underneath them, straddling Seth’s lap, rubbing her hands up his bare chest as he stirred. Immediately his arms came around and pulled her to him, his nose burying in her neck.

“You have clothes on,” he mumbled against her skin.

“Mmhmm,” she responded, kissing his shoulder. “Want to take them off of me again?”

Rocking his hips up, Mercy felt his hard-on brush her core. “The answer to that question will always be yes.”

Pulling back, she looked him in the eye. “In the shower?”

Seth’s brown eyes rolled back into his head as he groaned. “Oh my God, did I tell you how much I love you?”

Sitting up, she laughed, keeping pressure on his dick with her bottom. It felt good against her skin, and she liked seeing the evidence of his arousal. “Many, many times.”

Jackknifing, Seth rose from the bed, scooping Mercy up in his arms as he stood, marching the two of them to the bathroom. Keeping her legs and arms wrapped around him, she took the opportunity to turn her attention to his earlobe, nibbling and sucking on it, while wrapping his hair in her fist, giving it a little tug. Mercy felt his dick throb against her, and she grinned evilly.

The bathroom was just like every other hotel bathroom in the United States, a counter with a sink on one wall, toilet right in front as you enter, and the shower/tub combo against the other wall, hardly big enough for two people, but dammit, they were absolutely going to give it a shot.

Seth set Mercy on the counter and she squealed when the coldness hit her thighs. Seth turned the shower on, getting the temperature right while she ogled his back muscles, ass, and thighs. Damn those squats were really paying off.

“Where is your mind?” he asked, kissing her forehead, coming to stand between her legs. Naked Seth Rollins was a sight to behold, and he left her a little breathless. Mercy's fingers ran through his chest hair, then down lower into the trail on his abs.

“I was just thinking if I die with your thighs wrapped around my head, I might die happy.”

Rearing back, Seth gave her a concerned look, mixed with confusion. “What the fuck?”

She laughed. “They are very sexy thighs.”

“Were you always this weird?” he teased, his hands coming up to pull off her t-shirt. She was naked underneath, and his eyes reflected his appreciation of that fact.

Lifting her shoulder in a slight shrug, Mercy said, “Yeah, but I was always really timid around you. So, I hid it well.”

“No more hiding, Mercy,” he whispered, dropping the piece of fabric to the floor.

She shook her head, reaching out to him. He picked her up and carried her into the tub, setting her down under the warm water. Letting it rain down on her chest and shoulders, Mercy felt Seth step up behind her, wrapping his arms around her middle.

The two of them were silent for a few minutes, soaking up the closeness, feeling their bodies touching. The closed shower curtain created a cave like atmosphere. It was a soft moment, one Mercy needed more than she realized.

Seth’s hands traced her hips bones with his thumbs before sliding one up her belly to her breast. He just held it for a second, then swiftly reached up and pulled on the nipple. A lightening bolt zipped through Mercy's body, ending at her clit causing it to throb.

“Seth!” she yelled, her voice echoing off the tiles. Mercy's ass pushed against his hard dick, more of a reaction than intentional, but it caused him to growl in her ear. Her hands went to his thighs in an effort to balance herself as he continued to pinch and pull her nipple. His other hand delved between her legs, finding her hole and pushing two fingers in.

Gasping, Mercy pitched forward, the sudden shock of his exploring hands too much for her. Catching herself against the wall, she felt the water beat down on her back, sliding between their bodies, adding more slickness for Seth’s questing fingers.

Seth spread his legs wider, pushing his cock against her ass, rubbing slightly. He was dead silent except for growls and hisses under his breath.

“Seth, what-,” she tried to ask, but he pressed his thumb against her clit. Mercy's legs began to shake, and she could feel his fingers curl up into her, finding that sweet spot he knew so well.

He leaned over her back while he used his hand on Mercy's chest to pull her against him again. In her ear, his voice was husky and dark. “Do you feel that, Mercy? That place that I’m touching inside of you? That’s mine, isn’t it?”

Juices flooded out of her at his tone and she whimpered. “Yes.”

Stroking his fingers in and out of her, he continued, “Tell me, who else has touched you like this? All these years we were apart, who else touched what belonged to me.”

Mercy's heartbeat was drowning out of the sound of the water falling from the showerhead, but she heard Seth’s voice loud and clear. Her orgasm was right there, almost to the cusp, but Seth was controlling it, thrusting his fingers up in her and pressing on her clit, before pulling out and rubbing her folds, then repeating the process over and over with no clear timing.

“Tell me!” he growled, nipping at her shoulder.

Mercy was massively turned on at Seth’s aggressive behavior. She knew she was safe with him, but what did he want? A list? Addresses? A play by play of every sexual encounter? “I don’t know, Seth, I don’t know.” Grabbing his wrist with one hand, she tried to push his fingers deeper, but he wasn’t having it.

Whirling her around so fast her head spun, he pressed her torso against the back wall of the shower, the cold tile causing Mercy to squeak. Her nipples pebbled, and she rested her forehead against the hard surface. As Mercy raised her arms to push herself up, Seth caught them, pulling them behind her back. He held her wrists together in one hand, while taking his dick in the other and teasing her pussy with it.

“Mercy, who touched what was mine?”

She whined. “Please, Seth, put it in me, please.” Her core clenched as if reaching for him, but he continued to deny her.

“No.” A slap rained down on her upturned ass and she screamed. “Give me names, Mercy. Who are they?”

Never in a million years did she imagine she would be naked in a hotel shower with Seth Rollins, naming people she had sex with, just to get him to quit teasing her with his dick on her clit. She was so close to tears, she had to do what he said.

“There weren’t many! Steven, Maddox, and Paul!”

Without warning, Seth slammed into her, all the way to the hilt, while at the same time tugging on her wrists so that he didn’t slam her face into the wall. He was sweet like that.

With every quick, brutal thrust, he punctuated his words. “And. Did. They. Fuck. You. Like. This?”

Mercy couldn’t breathe, gasps shallow and rapid. Her pussy tightened on Seth’s dick every time he hit home, wetness dripping down her legs, coating him. “I don’t know!”

Letting her wrists go, he grabbed one of Mercy's thighs, propping her leg up on the side of the tub. Her hands found the wall, even as she looked over her shoulder at Seth.

Her world stopped. He was standing under the showerhead, too tall for the space, the water hitting his upper back and spraying over his shoulders. Rivulets of liquid ran down his chest and stomach, getting caught in the hair, before managing to squeeze past to travel further, down to his cock that was red and flushed, engorged to a size she never remembered seeing before. He was breathing hard, his chest heaving, his expression fierce and pissed. He had never looked sexier to her, and it was all because he was showing his possessive side.

Knowing he could hear her, even over the running water, Mercy whispered, “I can’t remember anyone else but you, Seth.”

A sound that was suspiciously close to a roar erupted from him and he lunged forward, again cushioning her so that she didn’t hit the wall, but landed hard against her back. His dick found its way back inside of her, feeling larger, pushing against Mercy's soft insides, creating its own space even if her body wasn’t ready.

But she was. She was more than ready. Moaning, Mercy's head fell back onto his shoulder, absorbing his ruthless thrusts, her body singing.

“Never again will anyone else touch you, Mercy.” He was panting in her ear, but it sounded like he was talking to himself more than her. “Never. I love you.”

“I love you,” she replied.

He reached around her waist, his hand slapping her clit rapidly. “Cum, baby. And scream my name.”

At the first hit Mercy's body lit up while she squeezed his cock tightly with her pussy. Fireworks went off in her hoohah, and she was celebrating hard. Mercy came with his name on her lips and his cum in her hole. “Seth! Oh my God!”

His thrusts slowed, his hands rubbing her muscles to work out any soreness. Pushing him back, she turned, all but crawling in his arms as she kissed him. “You don’t have to worry that someone is going to steal me, Seth.”

He ran his hands down the side of her face. “I just can’t believe we’re here, together. I didn’t appreciate you before, and I don’t want to make the same mistake again.”

Gracing him with a fierce glare Mercy said, “Do not ever make me say anyone else’s name during sex again, do you understand? I belong to you. You belong to me. No one else comes between that. Right?”

He nodded, kissing her again. “We need to get ready for breakfast.”

“Mmm,” she moaned. “I want donuts!”

He laughed. “We’re meeting Dean and Renee. You can have more than donuts.”

Pouting, she watched as he picked up the soap. “I wanted to take a nap.”

“Nap after breakfast. Let me show you off to my best friend.”

His hands ran all over Mercy's body soaping her up, and her mind wandered. Where was this possessive side of Seth coming from? And was it permanent? Behind closed doors, she reveled in it, but it wasn’t something she was sure she could deal with in public. She knew, if it was some new quirk in his personality, that it could cause serious issues down the road, probably sooner rather than later. She was not a woman that could be held tight. Mercy liked her independence, and the confidence that came with that.

Being a kept woman was not in her DNA.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mercy and Dean butt heads, again, and some womanly advice gets served

In the restaurant in the hotel lobby, Seth pushed Mercy's chair in then sat next to her at the four-person table. It was busy, full of people talking and laughing. Renee and Dean had not yet arrived, and Mercy looked at her phone to check the time. It was only 8:30am.

Her body felt like it had been a hit by a Mack truck, and to be honest, looking at Seth’s broad chest under his gray t-shirt, the analogy might not be that far off. Mercy was deliciously sore from head to toe, and if Seth had not dragged her downstairs, she would have probably passed out by now.

“Hey!”

Looking up, Mercy saw Renee and Dean arrive, Renee’s face bright and cheerful as always, and Dean looking bored and ready to bolt at the first loud crash. Together, they were the couple that confused Mercy the most, but she adored them all the same. Dean maybe less than Renee. She still hadn’t quite forgiven him for telling her to grow up.

Renee leaned over and kissed her cheek and Mercy grinned at her, watching as Dean held out her chair, assisting her in sitting just like Seth had done for Mercy. Points for chivalry. Once they were both seated, Seth and Dean immediately began talking about the gym, causing Mercy to roll her eyes at Renee.

Laughing, Renee reached over to move the collar on her shirt. “Your hickey was showing.” She winked at her, and Mercy's face flushed.

Picking up the menu that was in front of her, she cleared her throat. “Well I mean, it’s not that big of a surprise, is it?”

Mercy was talking about the fact that she and Seth had hooked up, and Renee caught on. “I think there was a betting pool. I’ll have to check to see who won, but I think it was Kurt Angle.”

Her mouth dropped. “Wait, there was a betting pool? And Kurt was in on it?”

Renee was clearly enjoying Mercy's reactions, a big grin on her face. “Oh please. Two attractive people with a history and tons of sexual tension? Of course there was a betting pool.”

Embarrassed, Mercy looked over at Seth, wondering if he knew about it, and if he had money in it.

“Stop,” Renee whispered, leaning over so only Mercy could hear her. “He didn’t know. It was stipulation. We were all out the money if you two found out.”

Giving her a false smile, Mercy again looked at the menu. Clearly she was a person that was easy to read because both Royal and Renee read her like a book.

“So you two finally did the deed, huh?” Dean’s gruff voice had Mercy's head snapping up to glare at him across the table. He looked mildly smug, and it took all she had not to kick him under the table. “Does this mean ya’ll are together now or what? Do we have to break the hearts of the long list of babes in line to date Seth Rollins?”

Every word out of Dean’s mouth had her blood pressure rising. Clearly, he was trying to rile her up, and unfortunately, it was working like a charm.

“Dean,” Renee chided. “Stop.”

Seth looked at Mercy, clearly waiting for her answer. Why was it up to her to dispel or confirm rumors? She was a fairly private person, and having her drama aired out for the world to see was not on her top ten things to-do list.

Dean stared at Mercy, that grin still in place, waiting to see what she was going to do.

Putting her menu down, Mercy folded her hands on top of the table. “Seth and I have talked and we are working things out. There is still a lot to discuss, and it’s no one’s business but our own. So, grow up, Dean.”

Seth’s mouth dropped open then quickly closed again, while Renee laughed, backhanding Dean’s shoulder when he rolled his eyes at Mercy. The waiter appeared and everyone ordered, conversation flowing with the group. Childishly, Mercy refused to speak to Dean directly, but damn, he was annoying.

Tapping Renee on the shoulder, she whispered to her. “Got time to talk to me after breakfast?”

Renee checked her watch, then nodded at her. “Yeah, I have to be downtown by 11:30, but I’ve got time. Everything ok?”

Smiling she nodded at her. “Just need another woman’s perspective.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mercy and Renee left the men to workout and headed to the indoor pool of the hotel. Settling at a plastic table, Renee with tea and Mercy with coffee, Renee placed her chin on her hand.

“Out with it. You are seriously bugged out.”

Mercy had to laughed. As she had noticed before, Renee could read her like a book. Sighing, she looked at her friend. “I have doubts. Like, a lot of them.”

“If this is in regards to your relationship, or, non-relationship as the case might be, with Seth, that’s only natural.”

“Might be,” Mercy conceded. “But I feel like it’s mostly my self doubt. When I’m in the moment with Seth, when it’s the two of us, I feel wonderful. As soon as reality creeps in, I get scared.”

Renee watched her for just a moment. “What are you scared about specifically?”

Darting her question, she asked one of her own. “You’ve known Seth the whole time you’ve been with Dean. What have you noticed about him?”

Sitting up straight, Renee squinted her eyes just a bit. “You mean from an unbiased view.” Mercy nodded. “Ok, I noticed that his work ethic, not his drive, because that hasn’t changed, has become very specific. He’s extremely loyal and dedicated, takes no shit, but does not cause or interact with drama. He’s quiet most days, and if he’s not working out, he’s usually watching movies or playing video games.”

Hesitating for just a moment, Mercy finally asked the question that ate at her. “What about girls. Women. Girlfriends. One night stands. Anything like that?”

Comprehension dawned in Renee’s eyes, even as she took a drink of her tea. “You think you have competition? Mercy, I’m not going to sit here and tell you that he’s been single, because he hasn’t. There was one girl he was with for two years, but they split up. She cheated on him. He wasn’t really broken up about it. After that, there were a couple of girls that hung around, but again, he seemed bored with them. But they knew what they signed up for.”

Biting her lip, she looked away from Renee. “He got really possessive with me earlier. He wanted the names of the guys I’d been with since him. At the time, it was really hot and sexy. But once I calmed down, it was pretty alarming.”

Renee reached across the table to hold Mercy's hand. “Do not create personality traits for him that don’t exist. Seth is not a crazy boyfriend. He loves you, and I imagine that if you told him to step in front of a bus, he’d do it.”

“Well that would be hard to explain to Vince, so maybe I’ll skip that,” Mercy joked.

“Girl, try talking to him. He’s not unreasonable. You both need time to settle in to whatever this is, and just enjoy it.”

Nodding at her, Mercy grinned. “You mind leashing your man? He doesn’t like me.”

Renee laughed, getting to her feet, drink in hand. “Actually, he likes you a lot. He needles you because you don’t take his shit and he thinks its funny. Seth is his brother, and he’ll protect him no matter what. So if you keep that in mind, dealing with Dean isn’t hard.”

After Renee walked away, Mercy stayed, thinking about their discussion. Clearly, she needed to get out of her own head. Seth was a WWE Superstar, there were going to be girls hanging on him, and in reality, she would only see him once a week. The two of them lived in different states, and neither of them planned on moving. There was only one realistic scenario for going forward, and Renee was right, Mercy needed to talk to Seth to make sure the two of them were on the same page.

Getting up, Mercy sighed. That nap wasn’t going to happen today.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Once again, Mercy jumps to conclusions. When will she ever learn? But maybe in this instance, it worked out for the best….

Dressed in an emerald green wrap dress with black strappy heels, Mercy finished putting on her make up for the NXT event that night. Her hair was down, curled around her face and shoulders in waves, hair sprayed to within an inch of its life. Seth had been gone all day, but the two of them had been texting back and forth quite frequently, and he was supposed to stop by Mercy's room to accompany her to the PPV.

She was absolutely resolute as she pressed her lips together, rubbing the lip gloss in. Before they left, Mercy was going to clear the air with Seth and set some ground rules for their relationship. It needed to be done quickly, before either of them got too far into their feelings. It would be a rational, calm discussion, and then the two of them would go to the NXT PPV clear headed and empty of all expectations. Mercy gave herself a nod in the mirror. This would be easy.

A knock sounded on her hotel room door, and she left the bathroom to open it, finding Seth on the other side. Clad in gray skinny jeans, a band tee, and a blazer, he looked handsome with a big grin on his face.

“Baby, you look amazing,” he said, stepping inside and kissing Mercy's cheek.

Smiling at him, she closed the door as he walked further into the room. “Thank you. Too much?” she gestured to the dress.

“Nah. Gorgeous.” His eyes roved up and down her body and immediately Mercy's hoohah perked up, drooling a bit into her panties.

“I’m glad you are early, I wanted to talk to you before we left.” She moved closer to him but stayed just out of arm’s reach.

Seth raised his eyebrow. “Yeah, what about?”

“So I think we need to have a frank discussion about our relationship. We need to be realistic. We will only see each other once a week, and probably only during show hours. We’ll need to make special arrangements for anything more than that, you know, like sex or whatever. I’m not interested in dating anyone else, but I realize you might be, and you have needs, so I understand if you need to get your rocks off somewhere else. I just ask that you use protection and get tested regularly. I know the WWE tests you twice a year, but I’m going to need more than that, like every two months. Also…”

Seth interrupted Mercy, his face dark and pissed off. “What, in the blue fuck, are you talking about?”

She had been on a roll, mentally ticking off each item as she spoke it, so she hadn’t noticed Seth’s thunder gaze grow more and more upset. Stuttering, Mercy tried to continue. “An open relationship. Or, more like friends with benefits.”

Seth took a step back, shock plain on his face. “You want to fuck other people?”

She shook her head. “No! But I realize the opportunity might arise for you, so I’m being realistic.”

Turning his back on Mercy, Seth ran his hand over his face. “I swear to god, if you use the word realistic one more time I’m going to punch something.” Whirling around to face her, he spread his arms. “Do you realize that everything you just said is not realistic? Mostly because you came up with this fantasy scenario all on your own, without asking me what I want, or what I expect, or what I need. You are assuming things, based on what, I have no idea, but you are completely off base.”

Confused, Mercy tilted her head. “But, why?”

“Why what?”

“Why don’t you want an open relationship?” She was completely baffled. She truly thought her plan through and thought it was best for the both of them.

Dropping his hands to his side, Seth became exasperation. “Because, newsflash! I don’t want to fuck other people, Mercy. I thought we cleared this up earlier. You are mine, I am yours.”

“But what about-”

Seth cut you off. “No, there are no buts here. I want you as my girlfriend. I want to be in a relationship with you, Mercy. I didn’t know I needed to spell that out for you. I don’t care who throws themselves at me, it’s not happening.” Pulling Mercy close, he gripped her elbows in his hands, his eyes peering directly into hers. “I will fly to Florida every week if I have to. I’d like for you to come to Iowa, but if you don’t want to, fine. We’ll work something out. Do you understand now? You. I want you. I’ve waited years for this, and if you think I’m going to let a stranger ruin this, you are sadly mistaken."

She was stunned, shaken to her core. Mercy had been absolutely certain that Seth would agree to her arrangement, and now she was thrown off base. “I don’t know what to say,” she admitted.

Kissing her forehead, he softly shook his head. “Still to this day, you aggravate me.” He chuckled. “Honestly, Mercy, you need to come to me instead of running wild in your brain. All of this could have been fixed if you would have talked to me first.”

Staring at his chest, Mercy could see his point. But she still couldn’t believe he wanted a relationship.

Murmuring against her skin, he said, “I love you, and only you, and clearly you don’t believe that. So it’s my job to prove it to you.” Stepping back, he held out his arm for Mercy to take. “Come on, let’s go on a date.”

Rolling her eyes, she smiled at him. “It’s a work event.”

He shrugged. “I’m still telling everyone you are my girlfriend. Get ready for lots of questions.”

Giving a mock groan, Mercy took his arm and picked up her clutch purse, allowing him to lead her to the door before he stopped.

“Wait,” he said, holding his hand out. “Give me your panties.”

Mercy's mouth dropped. “What?”

He gestured again. “Panties. Now. Give them to me.”

For a long moment, she stood there, staring at him. Her mind went wild, just like he accused her of earlier, each scenario playing through her head. There were tons of pros to giving him her underwear, and only one con she could think of. “What if I fall and my dress flies up? I’m not very good on heels.”

His brown eyes were relentless. “Then I guess you better hold onto me really tight. I won’t let you fall.”

Once again, Mercy's hoohah was on full alert, and she all but made the decision for her. Bending over slightly, Mercy hoisted her dress up to her waist before sliding the black strap of lace off her hips and down her thighs with one hand. Straightening, allowing her dress to fall, Mercy handed them to Seth, watching as he bunched them in his hand, raising them to his nose to sniff.

Juices dripped from her, and she discovered another con. Her dress was going to show wet spots.

Keeping his eyes on Mercy, Seth shoved her underwear in his jeans pocket. Stepping close to her, causing her to back up against the wall, he delved his right hand between her legs, tracing a path straight up her thigh to her dripping pussy.

Smiling devilishly, he thrust two fingers into Mercy, causing her to gasp and clutch onto his arm for support. “Yes, Baby, just like that. Hold onto me all night if you have to.”

His voice was deep and low, sending shivers down Mercy's spine. He pushed his fingers in a few more times before withdrawing them, a whine coming from her throat. Looking up at him, she watched with hooded eyes as he slowly licked his fingers clean of her wetness.

“Every time you sit down tonight, I want your bare ass hitting the seat. Got it?”

Well, that would solve the wet dress issue, but Mercy flushed, thinking about all of the seats she was going to be ruining that night. Nodding, she fixed her dress, pushing off the wall.

As first arguments went, that one wasn’t so bad.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mercy and Seth have a date night at the NXT PPV, and it gets a little….public

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Public Sex, Bad Language (maybe a little late for this warning, but its heavy in this chapter)
> 
> This is outside of my comfort zone. I’m proud of it, but whew, I’mma bundles of nerves!

Seth was absolutely adamant about that bare ass on the seat deal. During the car ride to the arena, he gave Mercy a stern look until she pulled the back of her dress up and sat on the leather upholstery. The driver didn’t notice, and it gave her a moment to practice arranging her skirt to an acceptable position in the front for later.

For later…God, she was willingly bare ass on a seat that who knew how many people had sat on before her, pussy dripping because Seth’s gaze was hot on hers, hand sweaty in his. Seth had Mercy wrapped around his little finger, and once again, she was swept away.

He had that control over her. Admittedly, it was different this time. Back in FCW, neither of them had experimented much, but it was still whatever Seth wanted, Seth got. Mostly after match sweaty angry sex. That was ok with Mercy, at the time. This go around, Seth’s dominance was a new beast.

She found that she could arrange the skirt on the dress to cover her thighs, hiding her ass and pussy from the masses. This, surprisingly, made sitting bare assed so much more thrilling. Mercy and Seth had a secret.

Arriving at the arena for the NXT PPV, Seth helped Mercy slide out of the backseat and stood in front of her until she gave him a slight nod. Everything was in place. Taking her hand in his, he turned and walked them inside the building, waving and nodding at people he knew. He was so confident and easy going, while she was super conscious of the air drafting up her thighs.

Seth led her to catering where it seemed most of the NXT roster was gathered. Mercy saw a lot of NXT alumni, including Bayley, Sasha, Samoa Joe and Sami Zayn, who was in an arm sling after recent shoulder surgery. The room was crowded and loud, people excited over the upcoming matches, and Seth turned away from her for just a moment when she felt a bold hand grab her ass.

Gasping, Mercy turned, hoping it was Seth, before her eyes landed on Dolph Ziggler’s grinning face. Drew McIntyre was behind him, looking for all the world like he was going to set the building on fire. People had said Drew was a nice guy, but Mercy doubted that very much.

Dolph adjusted his jacket, crowding into her personal space. “I see things are going well with you and Rollins. I’m happy for you. If you want, you can just thank me now and we’ll never speak of it again.”

Mercy could feel the sneer spread across her face. “You are taking credit for Seth and I working things out?”

Dolph scoffed. “Naturally it’s because of me. But I think it’s time you face the fact you climbed the wrong ladder.”

He was needling her, and she grit her teeth together. “Bye Dolph, I don’t have time for your petty antics today.” Mercy reached for Seth’s arm, desperate for the safety of his body, but Dolph intercepted her. Even in the crowded room, with all the witnesses, he pulled Mercy against his chest, his hand low on her back.

In her ear, Dolph hissed, “Sure would be a shame if somehow your dress flew up in this room, wouldn’t it, Sweetheart? Lord knows what they would see.”

The implication was clear. He knew, probably from his grabby hands, that she was bare underneath her dress.

“If you do not step back and let her go right now I am going to shove my foot so far up your ass you will be coughing shit for years to come.”

Seth’s voice was like a balm to Mercy's soul. He was right behind her, shielding her and Dolph from the crowded room. Looking over her shoulder, she saw his body was rigid, his focus entirely on Ziggler. Without breaking his gaze, he reached up and grabbed Dolph’s hand, removing it from Mercy's back by bending fingers backwards.

“Ow, ow ow!” Dolph exclaimed, trying to tug his hand from Seth.

Drew didn’t move, his expression exuding boredom, but still, Mercy watched him out of the corner of her eye. Something wasn’t right here.

“If you ever touch her without permission again, I will end you, do you understand?” Seth’s voice was menacing, and she tried to hold back the shiver that ran through her body.

Holding his hand against his chest, Dolph glared at him. “And who’s permission would that be, Seth? Yours or hers?”

Turning, slipping into Seth’s arms, Mercy snorted. “Mine, Dolph. Obviously.”

Seth whisked her away, out of the room and down the hall, his pace quick and purposeful. She had to run to keep up with him, her fears about falling in the heels almost becoming a reality more than once. Seth’s hand mostly kept Mercy steady, and she followed him, keeping silent until he abruptly stopped, slamming into an empty room.

Pulling her inside, he closed the door and locked it. Suddenly he was in front of Mercy, his hands on her arms, his expression worried. “Are you ok? He didn’t hurt you or touch you more than I saw right?”

Protective Seth had morphed into Worried Seth, and Mercy's heart melted. Smiling at him, she stepped further into his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck. “I’m ok. Pissed off, but I’m ok. He’s just pushing my buttons.”

Sighing, he ran his hands over his face before pulling Mercy against his chest. “Christ I turned around and saw you up against him and I swear my vision turned red.”

Biting her lip, she asked, “You know I didn’t do that on purpose right?”

“Of course not, Baby. I knew what he was doing. I was so close to punching him in the mouth though,” Seth admitted.

Giving him a wry grin, she said, “Well I’m glad you didn’t. You don’t need to lose your job over that idiot.”

Dipping his head down to kiss Mercy's lips softly, he sighed. “Losing my job over that idiot might be worth it, but instead, I’m gonna take his damn title.”

She hummed deep in her throat, sidling her body up closer to him so that she was pressed against his torso. “That’s my man. Hit him where it hurts. In his pocketbook.”

Seth laughed. “You mean his wallet?”

Smiling Mercy shook her head, nipping at his lips in gentle, teasing bites. “No, Baby. Dolph is absolutely the kind of guy that goes around carrying a purse. Or better yet, a fanny pack.”

Laughing, Seth tightened his arms around her, squeezing her against his chest. “I hope you aren’t overly invested in the show. I have plans for you tonight.”

Quirking an eyebrow, she leaned back to look at him. “Oh really? And what might those plans be?”

With a wordless grin, Seth grabbed her hand and again whisked her out of the room. He looked so excited, a huge smile on his face, she couldn’t help but laugh at him. He was so handsome, and at that moment, Mercy didn’t mind being wrapped around his finger at all. Whatever Seth wanted, she would give him.

Seth took Mercy through back hallways and corridors, ending finally at a service elevator. Pushing the button, he turned to her, looking for all the world like a kid on Christmas morning. The elevator opened and they boarded, watching the doors close behind them.

Immediately, Seth was on her, pushing Mercy up against the wall, his hands in her hair and his mouth devouring hers. Mercy could only gasp, gripping onto his jacket with both hands, desperate to anchor herself. His lips were aggressive, his knee shoved between her legs. Reaching down, he pulled her dress up and bunching it at her hip. “Ride me, Baby.”

Moaning, Mercy felt her bare pussy scrape across his jeans, the friction enough to send shivers through her body. Leaning her head back against the wall, she locked eyes with Seth, letting him watch as she lowered herself down onto his thigh.

With one hand on Mercy's hip and the other in her hair, Seth watched Mercy take her pleasure, his breath coming out in short, controlled pants.

Firmly seated on him, she began rocking back and forth, loving the feeling of the cloth against her clit. “Mmm, Seth,” she moaned, fighting the urge to close her eyes against the pleasure.

“Yeah, Baby? You like rubbing your pussy on me? What happens what the elevator doors open and there is someone on the other side?” His voice was deep, husky in Mercy's ear.

Giving a sexy chuckle, she swirled her hips. “They’ll have to wait their turn.”

Seth growled, hauling Mercy upright against him and removing his thigh. A low whine escaped from her throat before his lips crashed into hers. He ravaged her mouth, then in one movement, stepped back and flicked Mercy's dress down, right in time for the elevator doors to open.

Mercy took a moment to gain her bearings, still pressed against the wall, before taking Seth’s proffered hand, allowing him to lead her out into the hallway. They were now at the top of the arena and the hallway was substantially different than the floors below. Lush carpet, artwork on the painted walls, and large, heavy wooden doors leading to private sky boxes.

She followed Seth down the hall, hearing the echoes of NXT chants reverberating through the arena. The crowd was ready for the night, and judging by Seth’s expression, he was too. Happening to look down, Mercy saw a distinct wet patch on Seth’s jeans, and her face flushed. Truly she wished that elevator had taken longer to reach the top floor because riding Seth’s thigh had lit her veins on fire.

Approaching a door, Seth stopped and pushed it open, leading Mercy inside. They were in one of the executive suites, overlooking the arena below. The NXT crowd was packed into their seats, so close they could touch them, if it wasn’t for the window that separated the sky box from the arena.

The room itself spared no expense on luxury. There was a kitchen, a fully stocked bar, a seating area, and three flat screen tv’s showing the action going on down below. Everything was covered in either black leather or mahogany, adding a richness and sexiness to the room.

“Seth?” Mercy asked, looking back at him. He closed the door, flicking the lock behind him, and then moved to the bar. “What are we doing up here?”

“Drink?” he replied. At her nod, he began filling two glasses full of ice. How he could stand there and be so calm, while she had juices spilling down her legs, she had no idea. “I thought having a private viewing party might be fun.”

Private viewing party? Looking around, Mercy conceded. It was just the two of them, so yes, it would be private, and sitting up there was a lot better than camping out in catering. “Did you have to rent it?”

He waved her question off. “Listen,” he said, handing Mercy a glass of whiskey. “Enjoy it, ok? Don’t worry about how I got it. Just relax, have a drink. Are you hungry? We didn’t get a chance to eat downstairs.”

No, she was not hungry. Her stomach was in knots from not being able to cum while in the elevator. Food was the last thing on her mind.

Choosing a club chair to sit in, hoping to give her body some relief and away from Seth for a few minutes, she watched as the NXT PPV began. Seth cleared his throat, and Mercy remembered to pull her dress up. The leather was cool against Mercy's flushed skin. Her gaze kept switching from the tv to the arena beyond the window. Seth sat beside her in his own chair, a glass in his hands. The two of them watched the first match with rapt attention, making comments, cheering, and flinching at high spots. Before Mercy knew it, her drink was empty, so she stood to make herself another one.

Before she could take a step, Seth’s hand snaked out and wrapped around her knee. Looking down, Mercy watched as his hand traveled up the inside of her thigh, slowly raising her dress up. His hand disappeared as the fabric fell back into place, but Mercy felt him brush her core, feather light. Once, twice, then he added more pressure, and slid his finger knuckle deep inside of her.

A sigh escaped her throat, and she looked down at Seth’s brown eyes. He was watching her, every nuance that crossed her face. Too soon, he leaned back, removing his hand, a sexy grin appearing as he put his finger in his mouth, tasting her. Biting her lip, she turned, taking another step away from him, in the direction of the bar.

Mercy didn’t get far. Seth stood, pulling her back against him, his hands wrapping around her body. Pressed against him, she could feel his hard on against her lower back, where Dolph’s hand had rested earlier, the heat radiating from his body almost making Mercy's eyes roll back into her head. Her own hands fell to his forearms, bracing herself as he ran his nose along the side of her neck, adding kisses and licks as he went.

He spun Mercy to face the arena and the crowd of people whose attention was focused on the high energy match taking place in the center of the ring. “Look. All those people out there, just a pane of glass between us and them.” Using his body, he urged Mercy closer, pushing her until her thighs hit the low wall separating them from the arena. Her hands braced on top, face close to the glass, but not touching it. His breath was in her ear, his dick throbbing against her. “If they look over here, do you know what they are going to see?”

Mercy's eyes trailed over each and every person within a 100 foot radius. “What?”

He nipped her neck in mock punishment. “My cock in your pussy, Baby.”

“Seth,” she gasped, shocked and horribly turned on. Wetness flooded out of her, and absentmindedly she rubbed against him.

“Hmm, do you like that idea? You are rubbing against me like a slut at that thought, aren’t you? Can’t want to feel my dick railing you from behind?”

Each word hit her clit like a slap. If he kept talking she was going to cum without him touching her, and that just wouldn’t do. Feeling buzzed by the situation, Mercy grabbed his hands, directing them to her thighs. “Are you going to talk about it, or do it?”

Growling, he whirled her around, pushing her so that she sat on the low wall, her legs spread wide open for him. Angrily jerking his jacket off, he tossed it across the room before almost baseball sliding onto his knees. He hooked Mercy's knees over his shoulders, diving in, and the breath was knocked out of her body. Seth wasted no time, smothering his face in her pussy like it was his last meal. Licking all over her folds, into her hole and across her clit, no inch of Mercy went undiscovered.

Small shrieks came from Mercy, her hands delving into Seth's hair, pulling it from his hair tie, relishing in the feeling of his beard scraping her delicate skin and his mouth dominating you. “Fuck yes,” she moaned.

Reaching up, Seth pushed her skirt up higher on her legs so that it left her wide open to him. Using his hands, he pressed Mercy's thighs against his head, telling her without words what he wanted.

Squeezing his head, she tugged on his hair, pulling him tighter against her. “Eat me, Seth, fuck my pretty pussy with your tongue. Let all these people see what you do to me!” The words came out of her as a growl, her hooded gaze locked with Seth’s on his knees.

He was fused to her, his tongue and teeth making her legs shake against his ears. Throwing her head back, Mercy's hand found her own breast, rubbing and squeezing it. Seth’s nose continually bumped her clit, and her hips chased after it, eager for the feeling to be repeated.

Seth tapped Mercy's knee gently, and she unlocked her legs, allowing him to pull back. His eyes were sultry and direct. He had a plan, and the thought thrilled Mercy to the bone. “On your feet. Turn around. I want you to watch those people as I eat you out.”

“Shit,” she moaned, getting to her feet as directed. Turning, at first it seemed as if no one was looking at her through the glass, but as Seth flipped her dress up over her hips, she caught the eye of two or three people. All men. And they were absolutely paying attention.

Still on his knees, Seth scraped his beard across Mercy's ass before landing a hard slap to the skin. Moaning, she pressed back, silently asking for more.

She didn’t get what she wanted. Instead, Seth wrapped his arms around her thighs and hauled her to his mouth, flicking his tongue rapidly against her clit. Moans could be heard throughout the room, mixing like a beautiful harmony.

“Seth, please,” she pleaded.

Slowly pulling away, he gave Mercy a swipe from clit to bottom. “You wanna beg, Baby? Beg for my cock and I’ll give it to you.”

Mercy whined, locking eyes with a guy about 10 rows down from the sky box. He was turned completely, his entire focus on her and Seth. Biting her lip, she tossed her hair to the side, looking over her shoulder at her boyfriend. “Show these people who I belong to, Seth. Show them how you fuck your girl. Show them you don’t care who sees, that you are at work, where your boss could catch you.”

He slapped Mercy's ass, getting to his feet. “That didn’t sound like begging, Baby Girl.”

Grinning, she wiggled. “Please fuck my naughty pussy, Seth.” She wasn’t begging, she was teasing. Seth’s eyes lit on fire, and with quick, deft movements, his hands began unbuckling his belt. His pants were unbuttoned and unzipped in the next breath, and his dick was in his hand on the next inhale. “This what you want?”

She nodded, turning her gaze back to the guy watching. “Fuck me.”

The guy’s eyes bugged out of his head as Seth rammed into Mercy, his cock filling her up, her eyes rolling into the back of her head. No more attention could be paid to the stranger watching Mercy get nailed by her boyfriend. She was too consumed. Seth reached forward, gripping her throat with one hand, firmly, but not enough to block her air supply, making her bow backwards.

His hips rammed into Mercy's ass, making her butt jiggle with every movement, her breasts mimicking, yearning to be free of her bra and dress. Mercy's hands found themselves pushing against the glass, and she prayed it held up against the weight, but honestly, if it shattered, she wouldn’t bat an eyelash.

Seth was like a man possessed, his dick thrusting hard up into Mercy, his hand occasionally slapping her ass. “Look at my little slut, on display and loving it.”

And she was. The eyes on her made her temperature skyrocket, Seth’s dirty words made her wetter than she had ever been. Being slammed into from behind, knowing people could catch them, take out their phones and film her, find out it was Seth Freakin’ Rollins making her legs tremble, thrilled her in a way that was unexpected. He was claiming Mercy, in public, but she was claiming him too. Showing whoever looked that this is what she could make him do. A crowd below her, one man behind her, and she felt the highest she had ever been.

Seth’s hands gripped Mercy's waist tight, and without slowing down, he turned her so that the two of them were no longer on display in the window. She couldn’t see the crowd and they couldn’t see her.

“No one gets to watch my slut come undone except for me,” he growled.

Gasping, Mercy's orgasm unexpectedly washed over her, the switch from being on display to being shielded from view too much to handle. Her hands found the back of the club chair, Seth still slamming into her from behind. Legs trembling, she tried to close them, squeezing her pussy muscles on Seth’s cock.

“Fuck!” He yelled, even as he slapped her inner thigh. “Keep those legs open, Mercy!”

She tried to do as he said, his body wedging her against the chair so that her upper body was now bent in half, torso folded over the back. Her whole body shook, squeals and moans coming from her. “Seth, oh my god, I’m cumming again!”

He grunted, changing the angle, his balls slamming hard against her clit. “Come on fuck slut. Cum on my cock. Does my dick feel good, Baby?”

“Yes!” Mercy wailed, her orgasm causing every muscle to tense as it rolled through her body. “Fuck me down!”

His hands grabbed Mercy's, allowing her nails to bite into his skin. He moaned, and against her thighs she felt his legs grow rigid and she knew he was close.

“Cum in my mouth, Seth. Please.” The words were a whisper, Mercy's breath in short supply.

Stepping back, he allowed her to slide to the floor, turning only slightly so that her face was even with his cock. He wrapped his hand around it, giving it only a few short jerks before a shot of cum landed on Mercy's cheek. Opening her mouth, she stuck her tongue out, all but moaning as she felt the rest of his cum land there, coating it thickly.

Keeping her eyes on his, Mercy closed her mouth, swallowing his load. “Yum,” she hummed.

“Shit.” He reached down to pick her up, his lips immediately on hers, unexpectedly sharing his taste. It was extremely sexy, and she clenched her legs together against the throbbing there. “God I love you. Are you ok? I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

Pulling back a little, Mercy smiled at him. “That was the hottest sex I’ve ever had. Feel free to do that to me whenever you want.”

Chuckling, he ran his hands over her arms. “I didn’t go overboard?”

“No, Seth,” she replied, wrapping her arms around his neck. “I love you, too.”

He nodded. “Go get cleaned up in the bathroom. You have cum on your face.”

Swiping at it with a finger, she popped it into her mouth. “Not anymore.”

He slapped Mercy's ass, causing her to yelp and jump away. “Go, now. Before I fuck you against the wall.”

Pouting, she began to walk towards the bathroom. “How is that a punishment?”

Seth rolled his eyes. “Go, fuck slut!”

Mercy laughed, escaping into the luxurious bathroom. Looking into the mirror, she saw her outfit was destroyed. There would be no way that she could keep what happened in that suite a secret. Hickies, love bites, bloodshot eyes, messed up hair and makeup, cum stained dress, Mercy looked like a one night stand gone wrong. Or right. Depending on your view.

On the upside, she absolutely looked well fucked. Seth had ravaged her, and her body felt like a goddess. Mercy's hoohah was dancing to her own drumbeat, and her heart was full. It didn’t escape her notice that her pleasure was first on Seth’s to-do list, her comfort at the forefront of his mind. He pushed Mercy's boundaries, but she knew that at any time she could have told him to stop and he would have.

Keeping her gaze locked on the mirror, it was time she admitted to herself that she was head over heels in love with Seth Rollins. Sure, she had said it to him, and meant it, mostly. But deep down, Mercy had guarded herself. That was done. Over. Seth might not notice a difference, but she ready to give him her whole heart, with no reservations.

It was time to trust the man who broke her heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *hyperventilates with oxygen mask in hand* so? how was it?


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A private discussion gets interrupted by an unexpected guest, and Dolph Ziggler tries to capitalize on the distraction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *warning* physical violence

Twenty Four hours later, Seth was laying face down on Mercy's hotel bed, moaning. She was seated on his thighs, giving him a massage to rival all others. Seth was shirtless, his Chinese tattoo on display, causing a wry smirk to cross her lip as her hands ran over the skin.  _Moo Goo Gai Pan._

“That feels so good, Baby,” Seth moaned. His head was turned to the side, but he had mumbled the words into the pillow he had been clutching.

He had won the Intercontinental Championship from Dolph Ziggler, and the match had been a show stealer, which meant Seth had put his body on the line too many times for Mercy's comfort. Dean had kept Drew McIntyre away from the match until the last few minutes, but Seth was focused, and stomped Ziggler into the mat for the win.

She had been backstage, nails nearly bitten off from nerves. Renee was by her side, trying to keep her steady through the whole ordeal. Ironically, it wasn’t the match that had her on edge, it was what she was going to do afterwards. It was a huge risk, and a leap of faith.

Which lead her to this moment.

“Seth, do you want to get married?” Ok, that wasn’t what she had originally planned, but she’d go with it.

Seth reared up onto his elbows, almost knocking Mercy over at the unexpected movement. “What?” he exclaimed. He turned his head to look at her, alarm in his eyes.

Moving to the side, she watched as he flipped over, sitting up so that the both of them were face to face on the bed. “I know this is out of left field…”

He scoffed. “Out of left field? Are you kidding?”

Glaring at him, she sneered, “If the answer is no, then say no. Don’t patronize me.”

Seth tilted his head a little, and the movement made Mercy's heart stutter. It was so innocent, when she knew he could be anything but. “I’m not trying to patronize you, I’m trying to figure you out. You’ve let your brain go wild again, and you didn’t invite me along for the ride. Are you trying to propose to me?”

Biting her lip, she shrugged. “I mean, yes and no. It’s a discussion that could end in a proposal, maybe.”

He watched her for a moment, seemingly trying to catch up to where she was. Mercy could admit that she had planned this conversation out after her revelation at the NXT PPV. But now that she was here in the moment, with Seth looking at her like she had lost her mind, she wished she had kept her mouth shut.

Before he could answer, a knock sounded on the hotel door. Glancing at the clock, she saw it was after midnight, and neither she nor Seth, judging by the look on his face, were expecting anyone.

Standing, Mercy moved to answer the door, checking the peep hole before she opened it. “Oh my God,” she mumbled.

Life was set on kicking her in the teeth tonight. Michael from her previous job was standing on the other side of the door.

“Who is it?” Seth asked, standing up from the bed. He pulled the hair tie out of his hair and promptly tossed his hair back up into a sloppy bun on top of his head. Mercy's hoohah woke up and blinked rapidly. Shirtless, fluffy Seth was her favorite.

“Um,” Mercy hesitated. “A guy I dated a couple of times.”

“What?” he exclaimed, stalking over to gently nudge her away from the door. He looked through the peep hole, then back at her. “You dated that string bean?”

She had to laugh, because compared to Seth, most everyone was a string bean. Michael knocked again on the door, and Seth scrunched his nose up.

“What do you want to do?”

Mercy lifted a shoulder. “I’ll answer it and tell him I’ll talk to him later. I don’t know why he’s here, but he was always nice to me, so I don’t want to be an ass.”

He nodded, stepping back to allow her to answer the door. She was in shorts and tank top, but she figured it was casual enough not to come off like she had other plans for the night. Which she did, and they included Seth Freakin’ Rollins and that IC Championship. And getting an answer to her question.

As Seth stood behind Mercy, looming over her shoulder, she opened the door, just as Michael raised his hand to knock again. “Hi Michael. What are you doing here?”

Michael’s eyes lit up upon seeing her, then dimmed quickly seeing Seth, shirtless and buff as the CrossFit Jesus he was. He lowered his hand. “Hey, I wanted to surprise you.”

Mercy's expression turned dubious. “Consider me surprised. But, how did you know where I was? I haven’t talked to you in a long time.”

“Well I saw on Facebook that you were in NYC, and I was actually up here at a conference. I hung around an extra day or two so I could see you.”

Seth shifted and Mercy felt him brush his chest against her shoulder. “Well that’s nice, but how did you know what room number she was in? That’s not on Facebook.”

He had a point, and she watched Michael’s expression grow from confused to defiant. “I asked a guy downstairs and he told me.”

She actually felt more than heard the rumble in Seth’s chest. “Was he blonde with ramen noodles as hair?”

Michael shook his head. “No. He was tall and Scottish.”

Groaning, Mercy laid her head against the door. Drew McIntyre finally struck. Picking her head back up, she gave Michael a smile. “Well, it was great to see you, but it’s late. Maybe we can get together tomorrow for breakfast.”

“Wait!” Michael yelled, putting his hand on the door as Mercy went to close it. Not a smart move. Seth was already posturing, and he looked ready to bench press her ex-coworker. “Are you with this guy now? Does this mean I don’t have a chance? I was trying to give you time to get settled into your new job before I reached out again.”

Ok, so maybe those few dates she went on with him weren’t a good idea after all. She hadn’t meant to lead him on.

“Actually,  _Bub,_ ” Seth sneered, causing Mercy to flinch, “She just proposed to me.”

She watched as Michael’s eyes widened, and then turned to her in pity. “Are you pregnant? Do you need help? You don’t have to stay here.”

Seth had been content to let Mercy lead this conversation, right up until that moment. Somehow he had gotten in front of her, and he was right in Michael’s face. “Listen, I don’t know who you are, and I don’t care. Get out of here right now!”

Again, Michael looked past him to Mercy. “I’ll help you. Just come with me right now, don’t worry about packing, I’ll get you home.”

Down the hall, the elevator dinged, and Dolph and Drew stepped out, a cocky grin on Dolph’s face, and a glowering expression on Drew’s. Great. This was going well.

Seth’s head perked up, his focus now completely on the two men sauntering down the hallway. Blindly, he reached back for Mercy, nudging her further into the room. “Go call Dean now. Tell him to bring Roman.”

“But-,” Mercy started. She didn’t have either of their numbers in her phone. He turned his head to look at her, and her heart stopped at the look he gave her. “Ok, I’m going.” Renee. She had to call Renee. God, please let her have her phone on. She wasn’t sure what vibes Seth had picked up, but he clearly thought there was going to be trouble.

Scrambling through the room, Mercy snatched her phone off the bedside table, marveling at how a massage and a nervous proposal had turned into a misguided rescue attempt and a showdown at the OK Corral.

Renee answered on the second ring, right in time for Mercy to hear scuffling at the door and Michael yell, “Hey!”

“Hey, Mercy, what’s up?” Renee's voice was loud in her ear, and she could hear a large crowd in the background.

“Where is Dean and Roman?” Mercy didn’t have time for niceties.

“Uh,” she drawled out, and Mercy could tell she had been drinking. “I don’t know. Dean was here with me in the bar, and then he bolted quite suddenly. Which, by the way, is incredibly rude.”

Puffing out an exasperated breath, Mercy stopped her. “I need you to find him and send him and Roman to my room immediately. We’ve got problems!”

“Mercy, what?” Renee began to panic. “What’s going on? I’m on my way!”

A body slamming into her caused Mercy to drop the phone and her head to slam into the headboard. “Ow!” Looking over her shoulder, she saw Drew and Seth wailing on each other, no sounds emitting from them except grunts and heavy breaths, and the sounds of fists hitting flesh.

Drew had landed on Mercy, and as such, was halfway on the bed and halfway off, with Seth crouched over him throwing fists. Fists, not hands. They were not in the ring, and each blow that landed was doing some very real damage.

Crouching against the headboard, trying to stay out of the way of punches, Drew still half on top of her, Mercy's brain tried to piece together what was happening. Michael showed up uninvited, out of no where, insinuating that she was in trouble and/or pregnant. Drew had directed him to her room. What cosmic forces were in place that put Drew in the lobby at the same time Michael had arrived? Dolph had used the distraction of Michael to gain entry to her room, where Drew was now doing his dirty work.

The tables had turned in a flash, Drew kicking out with a large boot to Seth’s stomach, causing him to go flying across the unused bed and into the wall. Drew was up and to Seth in one large step, hauling him up in the air and then down onto the floor by his arms.

As Drew began slamming his fist into Seth’s nose, Mercy looked up to the doorway to see Dolph fly through the air, knocking Drew to the side. Dean, with Roman at his back, stared holes into Ziggler and McIntrye.

“Mercy. Come here.” Roman’s voice was gruff, but the tone was not directed at her. Slowly standing, she crawled over the bed Seth had just flown over, skirting the three men scattered on the floor of her hotel room. Roman reached his arm out and she ducked behind it, allowing him to shield her body with his.

It was not that she was afraid she was in danger, more that she was collateral damage. Mercy's head was throbbing where she had hit it, and reaching up, she found a large lump and a small amount of blood in her hair. Just great.

Michael was standing in the doorway, two lanky looking hotel security guys flanking him.

Roman turned to look at Mercy. “Go into the bathroom and lock the door. Do not open it until one of us comes to get you. Do you understand?”

While she and Roman had not had much interaction since she arrived at WWE, she knew him from his budding days at FCW. He had always been nice, quiet, driven. And if he wanted her to lock herself in the bathroom, there must have been a reason. Mercy trusted him, but her gaze still drifted from Dean, to Seth, to Dolph and Drew. The latter three were breathing hard, all watching to see what Roman and Dean would do, and in turn, what the two security guards behind them would do about it.

“Baby,” Seth’s voice caught her attention. “Go, now.”

“I got him, Mercy.” Dean assured her.

Without anymore hesitation, she turned and escaped into the bathroom, closing the door and locking it behind her. Huddled on the closed toilet seat lid, her knees drawn up to her chest, the sounds of fists hitting flesh and grunts reached her ears. Curses and yells from Dean and Dolph could be heard, but not much else was discernible. Time seemed to tick by slowly, and all she could do was listen and wait. And think. And worry.

A loud boom echoed beyond the bathroom door, and everything went silent. Mercy's heartbeat began slamming in her ears. The quietness was even worse than the noise. There was no way to guess what was happening now. Still, no one came, and she began wondering if she should chance opening the door.

Suddenly, she heard a voice. “Mercy?”

It was Renee. Jumping to her feet she pressed her ear to the door. “Hey is everything ok?”

“Yeah, look, um, the security guards are dealing with Dolph and some skinny guy in the hallway. Dean told me he would come get you in a minute.”

Frowning, Mercy looked at the door like it would give her answers. “Why is Dean coming to get me? Where is Seth? Why can’t I come out now?” This was ridiculous. While the fight was going on, she got that she needed to stay safe in the bathroom, the only room with a lock. But it sounded like the fight was over, and Renee was out there. Why couldn’t she be.

Renee cleared her throat. “Um, Roman, Seth, and Drew have been detained downstairs. Dean was adamant that you stay where you are.”

Mercy's hand flew to the doorhandle, intent on getting to Seth. Before she could open it, Mercy heard Dean’s voice on the other side of the door.

“I got it, Doll, thanks.” He knocked. “Mercy, come on out.”

Sighing, half with relief and half with frustration, she turned the handle, finding both Dean and Renee, hand in hand, in front of her. “How is Seth? What happened? Are they getting arrested?”

Dean held his hand up to stop her. “Come on, come out of there.”

Glaring at him, Mercy left the bathroom, only to have her mouth drop open at the damage done to the hotel room.

The mirror was shattered and leaning against the wall, items that had been on the desk were now scattered all over the floor, including the lamp, which was broken, the mattresses were shifted off the bed frames, and chairs were knocked over. But what really caught her attention, was the blood spattered on the walls and smeared on the bed sheets.

“Who’s bleeding?” Mercy asked, recognizing how weak her voice sounded. This whole situation confused her, and she had no idea how she had gotten to this point. Men fighting in her hotel room? Over what, exactly?

Dean spoke from behind Mercy, but she didn’t move. She was still staring at the destruction. “Roman got cut open when he went head first into the mirror. Might work in our favor though. If we need to, we can file for assault and shut Dolph and Drew down.”

Mercy's eyes found her phone next to the night stand and she bent to pick it up. Turning to look at Dean, she said again, “I want to see Seth.”

Dean rocked back on his heels, shoving his hands in his pockets. “As soon as they are done questioning him, we’ll get to see him.”

Mercy bit her lip, looking at Renee, who was trying to clean up broken glass with her bare hands. Mercy sat down on the non-bloody part of the bed. “What is going on here?”

“Look, Mercy, Dolph and Seth have a long, storied history. There are probably some things you don’t know. It’s up to Seth to explain. Let’s just see how this unfolds.” He turned, seeing Renee with glass in her hands. “Doll, what the Hell are you doing? You are going to cut yourself!”

Renee looked up at him. “I’m just trying to help. This place is a mess.”

Taking her wrists in his hand, he righted the turned over garbage can and made her dump the glass in it. Taking the hem of his shirt, he lightly brushed it against her skin, trying to get the small pieces off without hurting her. “There is a maid service. We’ll tip them extra or something. I don’t want you getting hurt. Glass stings, Doll. Trust me, I know.”

Watching them, seeing the side of Dean not many people got to see, Mercy's heart ached. Dean had come such a long way, from a drunk, pissed off guy who would punch anyone who blinked at him wrong, to a loving and caring husband, who protected the people he cared about. Maybe Mercy could forgive him for telling her to grow up. He certainly had, while she probably had some more work to do.

Dean and Renee began talking softly to each other, so Mercy looked away. That moment was private, and she had other things on her mind. Like Seth, and explanations.

Something was going on, something more than Dolph feuding with Seth for the Intercontinental Championship and being an annoying ass.

And tonight, oh yes, tonight, Mercy was going to get answers.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seth arrives after being detained

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Important Author’s Note down at the bottom, please don’t skip it.

It was 3am when Seth finally made it to his hotel room. Mercy was there, Dean helping move her stuff from her destroyed room to Seth’s so that housecleaning could try to clean up the mess that was made. Dean and Renee had stayed with Mercy for a few hours before she shooed them away.  She was exhausted but keyed up, and she needed some time to herself.

Sitting in the desk chair when Seth opened the door, Mercy turned to look at him. He looked like he had just participated in an iron man match. His hair was still in a sloppy bun on top of his head, but it looked like it had been taken down and put back up multiple times. There were bags under his eyes, and his shoulders drooped.

For a moment after the door closed, he just looked at her, his expression tired and vulnerable. And when he spoke, Mercy's heart wrenched from her chest. “Baby.” Just one word and she was out of the chair and in his arms, her eyes closed as he held her to his chest. The two of them just stood there, breathing each other in, soaking up the nearness of the other person.

Finally, Mercy pulled back to look into Seth's eyes. “Are you ok? Dean wouldn’t take me to where you were.”

Seth put his hands on either side of her face, his fingers in her hair. “I told him not to. I’m sorry, Mercy, but I had to handle that on my own.”

Her eyes roved across his face. Weariness was biting at him, and she decided to relent. For now. “You are going to explain, Seth. And soon. I’m tired of not knowing what is going on.”

He nodded. “I’ll tell you, Baby, I promise. Hopefully it’s over now. Come on,” he took Mercy's hand. “Go to bed. I need to take a shower, then I’ll be right there, ok?”

His voice was soft, reassuring, and a part of her rebelled. He was the one that was just a part of a very real brawl and then was questioned for three hours. But she recognized Seth's need to make sure she was safe and secure. That’s what the last few hours had really been about. Her safety. And he wasn’t done yet.

Nodding, she crawled into bed, watching as he went to his suitcase and pulled some clothes out before heading to the bathroom. The sound of running water was muffled and didn’t last more than five minutes. When he came out, his hair was wet, again in a bun, and he was only wearing boxer briefs.

It was closing in on 3:30 in the morning, and Mercy knew he was wiped out, he needed his rest for Raw, but her mouth watered.

Seth pulled the covers back on the bed, sliding in behind her, pulling her close. His body was still tense against her, his nose buried in her hair.

“Yes,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to the back of Mercy's neck.

She scrunched her nose. “Yes what?” His arms felt heavy around her shoulders, but it was comforting.

“I’ll marry you,” he whispered. “But not now. Not a week into our new relationship. But, woman, I am absolutely going to marry you.”

A slow smile spread across her face. She felt like she was sharing a small, secret moment with Seth, laying in the near dark room with just one light on. “So I should wait for you to propose to me?”

He snorted, running his hand down her arm. “My ego is bruised a little that you beat me to it. So, yeah. I’d like to give you a ring and make a big deal about it. Because you deserve that.”

Royal was going to lose her mind, Mercy thought. As she lay there, feeling Seth fall asleep behind her, Mercy's mind wandered. It really had only been less than a week since she had given Seth another chance. Four days to be exact. In that time, she had changed so much, learned new things about herself, and grew as a person. In her heart, Mercy knew she belonged with Seth, and even in the short amount of time they had been together, she felt as if the two of them understood and respected each other more than they did in FCW, when Mercy's life wasn’t her own and she had more responsibilities than she ever imagined having that that young age.

Still knowing that Seth had some explaining to do about Dolph and Drew, she was content. Mercy's body relaxed against Seth’s, finding peace at being in his arms at the end of the day. It needed to happen all the time, and with the PPV weekend coming to a close, so would the large amount of time the two of them would have together. It seemed like there was a lot for the two of them to talk about, things to plan, organize, and agree or disagree on.

Whatever the future held, Mercy knew one thing with absolute certainty.

She was going to marry Seth Freakin’ Rollins.

**THE END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Author’s Note** This fic started as one shot, and was never meant to go any further than a drabble, a “what-if” scenario. It blossomed into one of my favorite stories I’ve ever written. But as a writer, I realized that there were many points in this story that Mercy was left in the dark, or where things were outside of her knowledge. This was always the intention, as there are sometimes other forces going on, out of the sphere of knowledge of the OC. With this in mind, stay tuned, for Have Mercy: Seth’s POV, a look at important parts of the story, with knowledge that only Seth has. A EIGHT PART SERIES COMING NEXT CHAPTER!


	18. Seth's POV Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seth’s point of view on seeing Mercy again for the first time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Uncomfortable Situations, language

_She’s Back_

Seth had no idea how he had managed to make it through the rest of his match with Dolph Ziggler. It was a blur, the last three minutes seemingly happening to someone else as he looked on from above. Running a towel over his face and through his hair, he sat on a set of stairs off to the side of Gorilla, utterly shocked.

She was there. Mercy was in the audience, and he had stumbled into her during a spot outside of the ring. She had looked at him like he had punched her in the stomach, but in all honesty, Seth was the one that felt like he had been Triple Powerbombed through an announce table.

After six years, there she was, within arm’s length, and he was in the middle of a match against arguably one of the stiffest wrestlers he had ever competed against. Dolph had been a thorn in his side since FCW, and he liked to remind Seth that he had been called to the main roster first, and didn’t need NXT to gain popularity. Seth liked to counter that with Dolph was riding the mid-card, while he enjoyed main event status almost everynight.

 _Suck on that, Ziggles_.

Roman walked by, clapping him on the shoulder as he passed. “Great match, man. You ok?”

Seth looked up, and whatever the expression was on his face, it made Roman stop in his tracks. “Mercy was in the crowd, Ro.”

Roman’s face was blank for a moment, mentally trying to catch up to Seth’s problem. When he finally placed name with face, his mouth dropped open. “Did you talk to her?”

Seth shook his head. “I was in the middle of my match. What was I supposed to do, ask for a time out?”

Roman’s hands found his own hips and he thought for a moment. That was typical of Roman. Think before speaking. “Now might be your only chance to talk to her. You better find her.”

Seth suddenly found himself on his feet. “Talk to her? I’m not ready for that. Damn man. And besides, the show is over, she’s gone. There is no way she stayed in this arena after seeing me. If she had any sense she would be halfway down the interstate by now!”

Shaking his head, Roman began to walk away. “Man, I didn’t realize how much of a coward you were. You’ve been missing her for years, and she all but falls in your lap, and you pussy out.”

His last words were faded as he turned a corner, but Seth heard them just the same.  _Shit._

Looking around, he realized he needed to get ready for his meet and greet. Due to a delayed flight, he hadn’t been able to do it before the show. Walking down the hall to the locker room, his mind whirled. The woman he had let go, the one that got away. Every day for six years he had kicked himself for breaking up with her, and finally, she was there. Roman was right. He was an idiot for not trying to find her.

He was only in the locker room for a minute to grab a merch shirt and throw his hair up on top of his head, then he was out the door and down the hallway. As he neared the room where the VIPs were, a security guard stopped him.

“Mr. Rollins, Triple H has asked that you wait here for him.”

Odd, but Seth nodded, indicating that he understood. The door opened and out came his boss, looking like he had seen a ghost.

“Seth, I’m glad we caught you. Look, you need to be prepared. Mercy is in that room.”

It felt like the wind had been sucked out of his chest. She was in there? Was she waiting for him? Did this mean she wanted to talk to him? Oh God, now that the moment was here, he wasn’t ready. And on top of all that, there were tons of strangers in that room.

“Um,” Seth cleared his throat. “How did she seem?”

Triple H narrowed his eyes, thinking. “Standoffish, to be honest.”

 _Shit_. Not good. Seth nodded at his boss and walked past him.  _Let’s get this over with then_ , he thought to himself. If she was going to shut him down, he’d prefer not to do it in public, but here they were.

How he got through that signing, he’ll never know. He was minutely aware of her every move, and how she stood pressed against the wall, looking small and scared. His heart broke watching her, wondering why she seemed like she was going to fall apart at any moment. That didn’t seem like the woman he used to know.

“Hi,” a voice called his attention back to what he was supposed to be doing. “I’m Royal.”

He smiled at her. “That’s an awesome name. Supporting my man Roman I see.” He pointed at her shirt while taking her program from her to sign.

Looking over her shoulder at Mercy, she nodded. “Uh, yeah. Hey, I have something for you, but can you do me a favor and not open it until we leave?”

Seth nodded. It wasn’t the first time a fan had given him a letter and asked him not to read it in front of them. But the small slip of paper she gave him wasn’t big enough to be a letter or a note. Taking it, he kept it in his hand, seeing as he had no pockets.

He watched as she again cast a worried glance at Mercy, and his curiosity overrode his manners. “Do you know her?”

She looked at him. “She’s my best friend. She’s upset, but I’m not sure why.”

Stepping away from the signing area, he didn’t realize he was moving until he was already halfway across the room, Royal following. “I’ll talk to her, let me see if I can help.”

Mercy’s friend didn’t know how she knew him, which Seth found odd. Why would you go to a wrestling event, knowing your ex-boyfriend was on the card, but not tell your best friend what happened?

Stopping in front of Mercy, he took in her expression, which seemed distracted. She looked as amazing as ever, she had always been beautiful and smart, not that Seth had realized that years before. Mentally he kicked himself again. He didn’t deserve her back then.

“Hey.” God, he sounded like a teen boy. “It’s been a long time.”

Her eyes focused, and a look of disgust clouded her face, causing Seth’s stomach muscles to contract. “It’s been a long time on purpose.” Her words slapped him in the face.

Still, stubbornly, he trudged on. When would he ever get to see her again? “Look, can we go somewhere to talk?”

Suddenly, she exploded off the wall, reaching for her friend’s hand. “No, we need to leave. Now, Royal.” Before Seth could stop her, she and her friend were out of the room, Royal’s protests loud in the hallway. Stunned, he stood there dumbly. He knew, deep down inside, that she was justified for how she acted. Didn’t make it hurt any less though.

Looking at the piece of paper in his hand, he unfolded it, finding that Royal had written down Mercy’s phone number. A small, secret smile crossed his face.

Seth wanted to know what she had been up to in the last few years, how she was doing, if she had moved on, if there was a man in her life that treated her the way he should have treated her. She deserved to be loved and supported, and he had spent the last few years trying to become the man he should have been then.

Each relationship he had since her felt empty. In the back of his mind, as he learned, and his goals changed, he had matured, and he kept her in his heart. Each new woman eventually learned that he held a part of himself back, that he would never fully be theirs, and it always ended in disaster. But it couldn’t be helped. He was a one woman man. And like an idiot, he let her get away, again.


	19. Seth's POV Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seth gets advice from everyone, some helpful, some not.

Seth sat in the trainer’s room with Dean, who was getting his hands taped up. He didn’t need to be there, he was just trying to stay away from Dolph, who was one spoken word away from getting punched in the mouth.

The two of them had amazing matches together, but he and Dolph were never going to see eye to eye, and being in a storyline with him was akin to torture.

Dean was watching him, and Seth knew it, even though his face was averted. He also knew that Dean was going to lay into him any minute now.

“Man,” Dean started.  _Here we go,_ Seth thought. “Pull your head out of your ass. Are you going to focus or are you going to cry?”

Seth’s head snapped up and he glared at his best friend. “Dude, I’m not crying.”

Dean was uninterested in his protests. He watched the trainer move around the room to get more tape. “Ever since you saw her you have been moping around here. It’s past the point of annoying.”

Seth rolled his eyes. “I appreciate your support,  _brother._ ” Standing, he moved to the door, but Dean’s voice stopped him.

“You have choices, man. So it’s time for you to put up or shut up, know what I mean?”

Seth didn’t, but that was Dean Ambrose. Call you out, then follow it up with some vague motivational bullshit. “Whatever man. I’ll see you later.”

Leaving the room, Seth wandered down the hallway, no particular direction in mind. He cruised through the halls, saying hello to the ladies in the hair and makeup department, checked in with Creative on his tag match with Dean that night, then decided to head out to the ring to talk to the refs.

As he stepped out from the curtain to the open arena, Triple H spotted him and called him over. “Hey, listen, I don’t mean to blindside you but there is no other way to say this.”

Seth steeled himself. Was he going to lose his title shot? Be moved to Smackdown? Honestly, Triple H never had any good news to share. “What’s up?”

Triple H looked down at the paperwork in his hand before looking back up at Seth. It was a large stack of papers and looked like a contract. “I extended a contract to Mercy. She accepted.”

Seth felt his body grow rigid. “You found her?” It was the only thing he could focus on. Triple H knew where she was.

He gave a light shrug. “She’s on Linked In. A quick google search was easy enough to do.”

True enough. Over the years, Seth had always wondered if he searched social media if he’d find her, but something always held him back. Maybe he really was a coward like Roman and Dean said he was. “So she’s going to Corporate?”

Triple H shook his head. “No, she’ll be on the road with us.” Looking Seth right in the eye, he asked, “Can you handle that? There aren’t going to be any problems?”

Crossing his arms over his chest, Seth nodded. “Yeah, of course. No problems.”

At Triple H’s nod, Seth turned back through the curtain, needing a place to collect himself. Outwardly, he looked as calm and collected as always, but inside he felt like he was going to shatter. Desperately, he pulled open a door and slipped inside, surprised to find Renee doing vocal warmups in a closet.

“Uh…”

Renee squinted at him. “Are you ok? You look like you are going to be sick. And if you are going to be sick, please do it in that bucket over there and not on me, because I only have one more work outfit and I need it for Smackdown.”

Typical Renee, not shaken by anything. Seth crowded her in the small room, and he tried to pull back against the door. This was so awkward. “Sorry to interrupt.”

She shrugged. “You look like you need the privacy more than I do. I’ll step out.”

They shuffled around in the small room and she reached for the door handle, only to stop when Seth called her name. “Renee, look, I don’t know if you can help, but I could use some advice.”

She tilted her head. “Can we do it somewhere where we won’t be accused of cheating?”

He chuckled. “Of course.”

They moved to the hallway, which was well lit and not suspicious at all. Renee turned to him, her focus absolute. “What’s up?”

So he told her. Everything. It spilled out of him like a dam releasing a flooded lake. In all the years since he broke up with Mercy, he had never given someone the whole story. Not even Roman and Dean knew, although they put together enough pieces to get the gist of it. And Renee, his best friend’s wife, just stood there, letting her spill his drama all over her, her attention rapt.

“And now she is going to be working here, and I told Triple H that there wouldn’t be any problems but God, Renee, what if she won’t talk to me? What if she acts like I don’t exist? Worse, what if she acknowledges me but treats me like the piece of garbage that I am?”

Her hand gripped his forearm in an effort to reassure him. “Seth, stop. You are not a piece of garbage.”

“I was,” he murmured, looking down for the first time. “I mean, I accused my then girlfriend of swindling the company, and then basically told her I couldn’t associate with her.”

She removed her hand and shrugged. “You’ve changed, even in the time that I’ve known you. If she can’t see that, there isn’t much you can do. But you need to give her space. Don’t hound her, don’t pressure her. She’ll open up in her own time. If you respect her, that’s what you’ll do.”

She patted Seth’s shoulder as she moved past him and turned the corner. So simple, give her time. Seth mused for a moment, taking a step back to lean against the wall. If Seth was being real with himself, he feared time. She was going to be within arm’s reach and she could easily slip away again, without ever letting Seth apologize.

That seemed harder to deal with than telling her the truth.


	20. Seth's POV Part Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seth remembers, and Dolph’s reasons become clearer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Flashback sex. Bad language. Demeaning attitudes towards a woman

_Grunting hard, Seth emptied himself into Mercy, his gaze on the wall behind her. He had just lost another match, and his blood was still boiling, but at least the edge had been taken off. Slowly, he released her legs, waiting until she was steady against the wall before pushing away from her, sliding his cock back into his trunks._

_She was quiet for a moment, readjusting her panties and skirt, before looking up at him. “You ok now?”_

_No, but right now he wanted to be alone. “I’m fine. I’ll see you later.”_

_She looked crestfallen as she left the room, which Seth didn’t understand. She always came to him after losing matches, thinking she could make him all better. Seth rolled his eyes. Losing was never ok, especially since he was the best damn thing this company had, but he indulged her. And got his rocks off at the same time. No one was getting hurt, so it worked out for the best. She got to act like she helped, he got to fuck her. Nice trade._

_He rounded the corner of the high school locker room where the show was that night to find Dolph Ziggler leaning against a bank of lockers, a shit eating grin on his face. “That looked like fun.”_

_Seth scoffed at him. “Man, what are you, a creeper?”_

_Dolph pushed off the lockers and held his hands up in the air. “Actually, I was in here first. It’s not my fault neither of you bothered to check to see if you were alone.”_

_Moving to his gym bag, Seth reached for a change of clothes. It wasn’t everyday there was a ready shower nearby after a show, so he was going to take advantage of it. Nothing worse than driving home sweaty and sometimes bloody. “You watched though, you sick fuck.”_

_Dolph chucked. “She’s a hot piece of ass. Why she’s with you, I have no idea. I keep trying to get over to the offices to introduce myself, but between training and matches, my time is precious.”_

_Straightening, Seth shrugged. “She wouldn’t give you the time of day, Ziggles. But you are welcome to try.” He turned, heading towards the shower room._

_“Oh, there will be no trying, Rollins. And you are going to cry like a broke bitch when she’s warming my bed and not pinned against a wall like some sort of alley trash, moaning my name like the whore she is.”_

Seth wiped his eyes, yawning. He was laying in his hotel room bed, trying to sleep, but he just couldn’t get there. Mercy had arrived, and he was already unsteady around her. And she had made it perfectly clear she wanted nothing to do with him unless it was to do with business. He couldn’t fault her. But she had spoken to him, held her ground, and for some reason, that made him extremely proud of her.

That memory of that night so many years ago had crept in when Seth had closed his eyes. Why, he wasn’t sure, maybe seeing Dolph trying to talk to Mercy triggered the thought. But it seemed to echo in his head, specifically Dolph’s words. Mercy and Dolph rarely saw each other, and when they did, Mercy only had eyes for Seth. She seemed oblivious to the guys in the locker room trying to get her attention. Seth supposed he was lucky in that way, that she didn’t stray, but at the time, it didn’t matter much to him. He was singularly focused, and she was just, there.

Dolph had made his intentions know that night, but he had gotten called up to the main roster that same week, and never had a chance to step between Seth and Mercy.

Groaning, Seth rolled over, clutching a pillow against his chest as he buried his face in the one under his head. Remembering what a dick he was back then always made him feel ashamed and sick. And to think about how he had treated the only woman who had ever supported him made him wish a hole would swallow him up.

She used to try to tame his hair, he remembered. And she volunteered to pick up his dry cleaning while he trained, she scheduled his chiropractor appointments because he could never seem to remember the phone number. Without her, he floundered. And he didn’t even notice until he was in NXT how much he missed her.

And then when he made it to the main roster, and his girlfriend at the time, Gwen, cheated on him with Dolph, it didn’t even phase him. And that was the eye opening moment. Dolph had bragged about it for weeks, and Seth didn’t even care. But he knew that if it had been Mercy, he would have killed Dolph. It wasn’t an exaggeration. Seth didn’t, at the time, know how to love a person. But he knew that if he was able to, he would have loved Mercy. It was hard to separate the drive to succeed from the man he was, and he had spent the last six years trying to do that.

“I swear to fuck, Seth, if you don’t stop sighing over there I’m going to smother you with this pillow.”

In the darkness, a pillow flew at his face, causing him to let out an “oof!” when it smacked him. Throwing it back, he grinned, knowing he was unseen. “Sorry, Roman.”

Roman was quiet for so long, Seth thought he went back to sleep. Eventually, he spoke again. “Mercy is looking really good, man. Don’t break her.”

Groaning, Seth flopped onto his back. Therein lied the problem. How did he show her that he was a changed man? And Roman, Dean, and Renee all seemed to understand how important this was to him, that she was there, nearby, and each one of them were watching like hawks. Renee specifically had cornered him after the show and told him that Mercy was a vibrant woman who took no one’s shit and she expected Seth to give her none. Duly noted. Thanks.

Dean was worried about Seth’s in-ring ability, and keeping his eye on the prize. Little did he know, Mercy  _was_ the prize.


	21. Seth's POV Part Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mercy may be slowly getting used to being around Seth again, and Seth has to share the good news with his brothers. They aren’t nearly as excited…

A big grin covered Seth’s face as he made his way down the hallway, a spring in his step. Opening the door to Roman’s locker room, he found his friend lacing his boots on a chair.

“Man, knock first. I could have been naked.”

Seth chuckled. “Unfortunately it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve seen your pale bare ass.”

Roman grunted. “My ass isn’t pale. I’m a tan god.” He leaned over to grab his second boot. He looked up at Seth, his hair falling over his shoulders. “You are in a good mood.”

Seth’s grin widened, if that was even possible. “Mercy talked to me. And didn’t snap my head off.”

“Really?” Roman feigned interest. He cared, but he wasn’t one for getting involved in any type of drama.

Rocking back on his heels, Seth nodded. “Yep. And she also gave Dolph a verbal beat down. It was awesome to hear. He called me ladder climber and she shut his ass down.”

Finishing with his boots, Roman stood. “She defended you. That’s different.”

“I know! Maybe that means she’s warming up to me!” Seth couldn’t contain his excitement.

Shaking his head, Roman gave him a dose of reality. “Don’t get your hopes up. Fighting with you and Dolph at the same time is probably exhausting. She probably chose the lesser of the two evils to be nice to today.”

Glaring, Seth said, “Are you calling me evil?”

At that, Dean walked in. Roman growled. “Don’t any of you knock?”

Dean snorted. “Man, you know how it goes. What’s mine is mine, and what’s yours is mine.”

Seth rolled his eyes. His best friends didn’t care that Mercy was rolling him inside out. Although, Seth thought, he was pretty lucky neither of them had gotten involved so far. Roman would have told Mercy to save herself and run to the hills, and Dean would have made her hate him more, telling her lies just to get a rise out of her.

As Dean and Roman bickered, Seth leaned against the wall, half listening. He knew Mercy had only lashed out against Dolph because he was annoying her, but she didn’t realize the real reason Dolph was always in her shadow. Seth did. To Dolph, Mercy was a trophy. How fitting would it be if she ended up with Dolph after all this time? Dolph was still proud of himself for snatching Gwen away from him, probably thinking that she mattered to him. She didn’t. Seth wasn’t proud of himself, but Gwen had always just been a placeholder. It didn’t escape Seth’s notice that Mercy had defended Seth against being a ladder climber, even without knowing that Dolph had accused him of that very thing often. They thought on the same wave length, which made Seth smile faintly.

“What the fuck are you dreaming about over there, lover boy? Got a stupid ass smile on your face.”

Seth snapped his head up to look at Dean, who looked like he was a nano second from kicking Seth in the shin. He dodged to the left, narrowly missing the kick he foresaw coming.

In passing, Roman smacked Seth upside the head. “Get your head out of the clouds, little brother.” As he opened the door, he looked at Dean. “He’s so love sick, it’s shameful.”

Dean laughed. “Man, it’s not shameful, it’s just sickening to watch him moon over her. Balls up!”

Seth again rolled his eyes. He wasn’t going to get any help or sympathy from his friends. Dean was a ‘in your face’ kind of guy. If he wanted it, he went and got it. Roman was a smooth operator. Women flocked to him, but he was extremely picky and rarely played the field. Seth didn’t know what he was. Awkward. Confused. A bumbling idiot. He snorted. Dean would agree with the last one.

What he did know was that Dolph still had his eyes set on Mercy, and there was no way in Hell that Seth was ever going to let that happen. Not because he still had hope, but because if there was one person that was lower in the garbage can than he was, it was Dolph Ziggler. And Mercy deserved more than that.


	22. Seth's POV Part Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A meeting is held, and the gauntlet is thrown down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Derogatory talk about a woman, men thinking they know better *insert rolling eye emoji here*
> 
> This is one of those instances where Mercy had no idea any of this happened, but it was absolutely essential to her story. Only way to tell it? Through Seth's eyes.

This situation felt like some kind of U.N. Summit. Dolph, Drew McIntyre, Dean, Roman, Renee, and himself all sat at a round table in catering, the room empty except for a few stragglers picking up snacks. Renee had somehow managed to get everyone in the room at the same time, although it looked like only Seth and Dolph even cared why they were there.

Surprisingly, Drew spoke first, his Scottish accent harsh with his deep voice. “Is this some sort of custody battle?”

Dean snorted, leaning back in his chair, and crossing his arms. His chair was angled just slightly, but it placed him in front of Renee, who peeked around her husband to watch the conversation. “Yeah we are having the papers drawn up as we speak, Highlander.”

Drew glared at him. Dolph leaned forward, his gaze directed at Seth. “I know what you are going to say, and the answer is no.”

Roman shrugged and spoke before Seth could respond. “Then we’ll beat your ass.”

Dean nodded. “Mercy is a classy lady, and if she has told you to leave her alone, you leave her alone, or we’re coming for you.”

Drew scoffed. “She’s free game, man.”

Renee had apparently heard enough. She leaned forward, around Dean, her expression pissed off. Dean, for his part, put his hand on her knee. It looked casual, but Seth knew better. If anyone made a move, he was getting Renee out of the room first. She was his priority. He’d come back for his brothers after she was safe.

“Excuse me, but she is a living, breathing person and not a damn object. She has some say in this, and she was very specific when she told you, Dolph, to fuck off.”

Drew shifted in his chair and mumbled, “My God, it is a custody battle.”

The bickering was getting them off track. Seth looked at Dolph. “Listen man, it’s simple. Leave her alone unless she asks for your attention. She’s here to do her job, not get stalked by you.”

The expression that crossed Dolph’s face made Seth’s blood run cold. “Stalk her? Like, you mean, knowing her address?  Google, my friend. Who her friends are? Royal, Trey, Michael. All on Facebook. The fact that she likes iced coffee in the afternoons because she thinks the ice waters down the caffeine and, foolishly, she thinks she’ll still sleep at night? That’s just pure observation.” He stood, Drew doing the same, and pressed his hands down on the table, leaning towards Seth. “I told you once, and I’m saying it again, she’ll warm my bed and moan my name like the whore she is.”

The sounds of scraping chairs echoed against the tiled floor and The Shield stood up, Dean almost halfway across the table before Seth had even gained his feet. Dean’s hand swiped out, narrowly missing Drew’s arm as Drew all but carted a maniacally chuckling Dolph out of the room.

Renee was still seated, her face showing shock and fear. Without looking back, Dean reached for her hand, seeming to relax when she took it. Watching his friends, Seth knew he was going to monitor Dolph very closely. That weekend was a big PPV weekend, and he wasn’t going to be able to be as focused as he wanted to be. Mercy took precedence, whether she wanted it or not.


	23. Seth's POV Part Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set after The Talk of Chapters 10 and 11, from Seth’s POV

Seth sat at the end of his bed in the hotel room, waiting for Dean. It happened. Finally, he got to talk to Mercy without her attempting to cut his balls off. Blowing out a breath, he leaned forward on his knees, feeling a little dizzy. Overwhelmed. How he had made it throughout the day without being a complete and utter failure, he wasn’t sure.

It started innocently enough. He saw Mercy in the lobby of the hotel, looking fucking amazing in that outfit. And those heels! Seth internally groaned. Those damn heels almost had him tripping over his own two feet. Taking a chance, he talked to her, and surprise, surprise, she was pleasant. And, dare he say it, flirty.

On the way to his autograph signing, he stared at her name in his contacts list for a good half hour before he said fuck it and sent her a text. He almost had a stroke when she texted him back, alarming the driver of his car, who thought he had won the lottery when he yelled out loud.

She teased him, scolded him, which he thought was cheeky and hot, and then, they made plans to meet in the bar when he called her. Really, her openness to hanging out with him was almost mindblowing.

Just then, Dean pushed his door open pulling him from his recollection, sauntering in and popping gum. “This better be good man, I’m trying to watch The Bachelor with Renee.” He sat down in the desk chair, legs sprawled out. Dean had a habit of taking over a room.

Running a hand over his face, Seth sat up straight. “I got to talk to Mercy, and she didn’t run from me. I mean, we talked for hours man. Hours! And she asked me questions, I gave her answers if I could, I explained how much of a dick I was….”

“She already knew that, bro,” Dean quipped.

Seth glared at him. “She needed to hear it from me. And it went really well!”

Dean sat staring at Seth for a moment, as if waiting for more. “Is that it?”

At that moment, Seth wished for death laser eyes. “Man, this is a big deal!”

Dean sighed, adjusting himself to a more comfortable position. “I know it is, to you, but my wife is in my room in a damn t-shirt and nothing else, and you have me here gossiping! Why didn’t you call Roman?”

Groaning, Seth stood, pacing. “He didn’t pick up the phone.”

“Smart man.”

Rounding on Dean, he spread his arms open. “If you don’t want to be here, go, man.”

Dean waved him off like he was being dramatic. “Tell me what she said when you told her you were a dick. I think that will be my favorite part of this story.”

Just like that, Seth’s frustration at his best friend evaporated, and he shook his head with exasperation. The Lunatic Fringe liked to get under his skin. “She thanked me for breaking up with her.”

Sagely, Dean nodded. “You were dead weight to her. You would have held her down until she drown, just to get to where you wanted to be.”

Seth stood still for a moment, absorbing Dean’s words. It had never occurred to him that he would have been the reason Mercy would have been stagnant in life. He actually had assumed she would have stayed as a promoter, because she was good at it. But really, he would have held her back, not physically, or with intent, but he would have been the successful one in that relationship. He wouldn’t have been able to handle having a successful partner. His ego had been to fragile.

But now, without Seth, she was a hard-working, successful woman who made her own path. It left Seth speechless. And turned on.

The hotel room phone rang, and Seth walked over to answer it. “Hello?”

_“Hi, Mr. Rollins. Uh, your friend left her purse in the bar. Can we bring it to you?”_

Seth’s wheels began spinning. He’d get to see Mercy again tonight! “Yeah sure. Come on up.” Hanging up, he turned, finding Dean on his feet. “Leaving?”

Dean didn’t look back. “Man, did you not hear me? Renee is in a t-shirt and nothing else. I’m gone!” With that, he was out the door, a quick wave over his shoulder at Seth.

Sighing, Seth sat back down on the bed, waiting for Mercy’s purse. A slow smile crawled across his face at that thought. It felt domestic. Something a boyfriend would do, which is not how he would have treated her years ago. He probably would have told the bartender tough luck or at the very least, would have told her to go get it herself.

God, he really was a dick.

 

_“Hey, did you cook? I’m starving!” Seth asked as he walked through her door. She wasn’t in the kitchen or at her small desk where she booked shows and cut checks._

_She was on the couch, wrapped in a blanket, Kleenex scattered all over her chest. “No, I called to ask if you would bring me soup, but you didn’t answer.”_

_Stopping behind the couch to look down at her, he scrunched his nose. “You look like Hell. What’s wrong with you?”_

_Mercy gave him a dubious look. “I’m sick, Seth.”_

_“Well I mean, I’ve been training for this tournament this weekend.” His implication was clear. Training came before her. So what if she was sick? It wasn’t the end of the world. Man, she acted like she couldn’t move._

_She stared up at him for a long moment, then without another word, rolled over and buried her face in the cushion._

_He let out a huff of air. “Fine, I’ll go get your stupid soup. When this comes up later, don’t throw this in my face! This tournament is supposed to be my path to the championship!” He yelled as if she wasn’t the one that booked the show, and walked out of her apartment, slamming the door behind him._

_What an ungrateful snob she was._

 

Seth blinked, eyes focusing on Mercy’s hotel door. He didn’t hesitate, the memory fresh in his mind. That person seemed like a stranger, and he wanted to prove to her that, no matter what she remembered, that person didn’t exist anymore. Knocking, he waited for her to answer.

He heard her voice, but she didn’t open the door. “What’s up, Seth?”

He tilted his head just a little in confusion. “Hey, sorry to bug you. You left your purse downstairs and the bartender called me because my room number was on the tab.” Seth lifted the purse up to about shoulder height, hoping she was looking through the peephole. Otherwise he was going to be standing there looking like an idiot.

Her snicker could be heard through the door. “It really matches your outfit.”

His whole body woke up when she teased him. It showed she was getting comfortable around him, which in turn made Seth relax just a little bit and not try so damn hard. “I’ll let you borrow it if you open the door.” He rolled his eyes. “I can’t walk through walls. Which is very inconvenient.”

At first, she didn’t respond, and Seth almost knocked on the door again to make sure she was still there. “Just leave it next to the door. I’ll get it.”

What? That was dumb. What if someone stole it? That was the whole reason he was here, was to make sure she got it back! “I’m not leaving your purse in the hallway!”

She protested, and he argued back, really, he couldn’t even remember what was said because in a fit she threw open the door so hard it hit the wall. “Give me the damn purse!”

Seth felt like his whole world stopped. She was standing in front of him, wearing his damn CrossFit Jesus t-shirt, bare legs, with her hair flowing around her shoulders. He had never seen her looking so sexy.  Dean had been right to be annoyed with Seth. If Renee looked half as good as Mercy in only a t-shirt, Seth was sorry to interrupt his best friend’s moment. Gulping, he quipped. “All this time arguing with me, and you could have been putting on pants. Hey, my shirt looks good on you though.”

Her cute little nose scrunched up and she grabbed his wrist, pulling him into her room. “I’m going to punch you in the mouth, get in here!”

Seth was head over heels in love with her, and those words confirmed it. She wasn’t going to take shit from anyone, let alone him. He made a quip about how dirty her room was, but Seth was focused on her legs, how smooth they were. How long and lean. His hands itched to run up them, feeling the skin under his rough fingertips. Seth wondered if, as his hands ran up her legs, when he reached the hem of his shirt, if there would be material there, or if she was bare.

She moved, and Seth was suddenly on his feet, in front of her. He had no memory to how he got there. But he was looking into Mercy’s eyes, finding himself lost and desperate. “Tell me you want this.”

His heart was slamming in his chest. He missed her, he could admit that to himself. He wanted to be the man she deserved, he wanted to be a better person, and he knew he could be. For her. All these years, everything he had done, was for her. So she could be proud of him. Sure, at first he was feeding his ego, but that stopped being true when he busted his knee. His reason for living was taken from him, and he was left with nothing.

And standing in front of him, was everything.

What a revelation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seth is so emo, guys, but I promise it pays off


	24. Seth's POV Part Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takes place between Parts Sixteen and Seventeen of Have Mercy. The menfolk get detained, and there is a standoff between Rollins and Ziggles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Bad Language, violence

How does a marriage proposal turn into sitting in a cold, gray office with zip ties on his wrist? Shirtless, Seth tried to ignore the chill that was seeping into his bones. The least they could have done was grab him a shirt. He didn’t know where Roman was, but he was reassured that Dean was upstairs dealing with Dolph and that skinny guy that Mercy knew. Michael. His name was Michael.

Not that it mattered.

Drew was also somewhere nearby, but he didn’t care about Drew. If anything, Seth was more and more sure that this whole situation was Dolph trying to be a mastermind. That didn’t matter either. Mercy was his, and Seth didn’t share. He had been content to let her come to him, and when she did, Seth made them both a promise, he was never letting her go again. He would be anything she needed him to be, do anything for her, no matter the cost.

And right now, he was doing exactly that.

Seeing Michael at Mercy’s door had been a surprise, but nothing more than a misunderstanding, or so he had thought. But when Dolph and Drew had arrived, things began clicking into place. That barb that Dolph had tossed out about knowing about Mercy’s friends on Facebook. Michael randomly showing up. Drew being the one to tell Michael what room Mercy was in, then he and Dolph following him upstairs. They obviously expected Mercy to be alone in her hotel room. And that’s what made Seth pause. What exactly was Dolph’s plan? Convince her to run away with him, that he was her one and only true love? Seth couldn’t help but snort. Mercy wouldn’t fall for that. And any other option was just too much for Seth to comprehend. If anything happened to her, he would have been murderous.

Shifting his eyes to the door, he couldn’t help but marvel over the last four days. He had finally gotten the chance to apologize and explain himself to The One That Got Away, and she accepted him back. Not without some serious discussions, and some fucking amazing sex. God, he didn’t remember the sex being that good before, but then again, he had been a selfish prick and was really only in it for himself.

And then, out of the goddamn blue, she proposed to him. Kinda. Ok, she mentioned it. But he could tell from her expression she meant it. Which was mind blowing. His first instinct had been to say yes, immediately, to snatch her up so that he could keep her forever. But Renee’s words kept bouncing around in his head. Mercy was not an object.

He wasn’t sure why she was rushing, and he knew he was going to have to talk to her soon, but he was currently occupied.

The door opened and Dean walked in, throwing Seth into a panic. “What are you doing here? You are supposed to be with Mercy!”

Dean waved him off, grabbing a pair of scissors off the desk behind Seth. “Dolph is in the other room getting Drew. I’m keeping my eye on him.” Slipping the scissors against Seth’s wrist, he snapped the ties. “Besides, Renee is up there too.”

Standing and rubbing his wrists, Seth gave Dean a dubious look. “No offense to your wife but that doesn’t reassure me.”

Dean shrugged. “Man, she will claw that asshole’s eyes out. Don’t underestimate her. I can’t stay though, Dolph won’t hang out here long. Did the guard already question you? He just let me walk right in here, no bones about it.”

Seth chuckled. “Yeah. I was just waiting to see if they were filing charges.”

Rolling his eyes, Dean moved to the doorway, looking out. “Nah. Roman threatened to file for assault. Shut everyone down real quick. I’m heading back upstairs, see ya.”

“Hey!” Dean stopped and looked at Seth. “Take my card key out of my jeans and put Mercy in my room. I don’t want her in there anymore.”

Dean nodded and then was gone, leaving Seth to move to the doorway, finding Roman in a chair in a small waiting room, a petite young paramedic trying to patch up his eyebrow.

“You ok, man?”

Roman grunted. “Fine.”

Blood covered the right side of his face, most of it dried and starting to crack. Beyond Roman, Dolph and Drew opened a door, the room looking like the one Seth had just left.

Sauntering over, because Dolph knew of no other way to walk apparently, he stopped behind the paramedic, eyeing her ass. His lewd gaze dimmed when he looked back up at Seth. Opening his mouth to speak, he yelled when Seth’s fist lashed out, landing on his nose.

In an instant, Drew was in front of Dolph and Roman was on his feet, pushing the paramedic behind him. For her part, she stated silent, slinking away to leave the room. Roman and Seth stood side by side, and Seth determined this was Dolph’s last chance.

Groaning, Dolph covered his nose with his hand. “What the fuck, dude!”

Seth glared at him. “That’s your last warning, Ziggles. Come near Mercy again and I’ll scalp you then ruin your career.”

Roman’s eyes narrowed, first on Drew, then on Dolph. “A careless slip during a suplex, a bump gone bad….” He let his words hang in the air, the implication clear.

Seth was a little startled. He wasn’t talking about  _ending_  Dolph’s career, just ruining his reputation. He shrugged mentally. If that threat is what they needed, he’d use it.

Dolph tried to scoff through his broken nose but ended up groaning. “Since day one you have always thought you were better than me. In everything. I’m the workhorse of this company and I get tossed to the side every week to make room for you. This company rides on my back, yet you get handed shit, you climb ladders, fuck promoter’s daughters, get a faction built for you, have one of the most talked about Money in the Bank cash-ins ever, become a Grand Slam Champion, get the girl back, and I get fucking  _shafted!”_

Seth wanted to sigh. He knew all along that Ziggler was jealous, but there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it. “I don’t get handed shit, Ziggles, I work my ass off carrying this company. Week in, week out, I’m here. Take your bullshit excuse and fuck off.” Stepping up to Drew, because he couldn’t get to the man behind him without another brawl, he eyed Dolph. “And I wasn’t kidding. Do not come near Mercy again.”

There was a long silence between the four men, each eyeballing each other and watching for subtle movements that might herald a sudden fight. But soon, Dolph touched Drew’s shoulder and the two of them began backing away, leaving the offices all together.

Running an exhausted hand over his face, Seth looked at Roman. “Thanks man.”

Roman waved him off. “I give you shit for being an emo mess, bro, but I’ve always got your back. And Mercy’s too.” He touched the stitches in his eyebrow. “No one messes with my family.”


	25. Seth;s POV Part Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s Seth and Mercy’s wedding day, but she’s got the jitters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sending you off with a blowjob *kisses*

Seth had managed to hold Mercy off for a year. But she was adamant, she was not passing that mark without being married to him. And when Mercy stomped her foot, he wanted to spank her ass. Which he did. It was pleasurable, and she got what she wanted. A small garden wedding at a Royal’s house.

Royal was Seth’s new best friend. The two of them teased Mercy relentlessly during the wedding planning, which ended up being a blessing in disguise. She was so stressed about Dolph and Drew that she was becoming a bit of a bridezilla. While the two of them seemed to fade away, bothering other idiots in the locker room, Seth knew Mercy still worried about Dolph’s unhealthy obsession about her. Royal reeled her back in, grounded her, reminded her why she was getting married in the first place.

They were keeping the gathering small. This was for them, and no one else. Renee, Dean, Roman, Trey, and Royal were present, along with an ordained minister, and that was it. The people who mattered and supported them. Royal’s backyard that she had worked really hard at cultivating was a masterpiece, stone pathways, flowerbeds, full trees, arches and benches. It looked like something Renee had shown him from a magazine once.

Seth was standing in one of two spare bedrooms, looking out at the garden behind Royal’s house when a soft knock made him turn around. Peeking her head in, Mercy looked pale.

“Baby,” Seth took a step towards her.

She closed the door behind her, and Seth saw her hands were shaking. “We’re gonna have to shirk tradition here, Seth, because I need you.” She was in yoga pants and a white tank top, hair done and makeup completed. She looked beautiful.

He didn’t hesitate, wrapping his arms around her, pressing his lips to her hair. “What’s wrong?”

She pulled back, the expression on her face baffled him. She looked…concerned.

“Are you sure you want to marry me?”

Seth snorted. “Baby, you proposed to me, remember?”

She waved a hand before placing it against his chest. She played with the suit lapel absentmindedly. That had been Seth’s only demand. He was going to only get married once, and he wanted to wear a suit and for her to wear a wedding dress. None of this blazer and cocktail dress bullshit. He wanted his wife to look back on this day with zero regrets. She wasn’t in her dress yet, though, and he was mildly disappointed. He wanted to know what it looked like.

“I know I proposed to you but I’m giving you an out. If you want to run, now is the time.”

Pressing a kiss to her forehead, he laughed. “Your brain is running away again, Baby. I’m not leaving. Are you?”

She reared back again, glaring at him. “No!”

He shrugged. “Then there is no point in arguing.”

Seth watched as she bit her lip, a sure sign her brain was still spinning. Her hands continually ran down his chest, making his cock stir. “I want you to be happy,” she sighed.

His soon to be wife was  _not_ going to be doubting herself on her wedding day. He swooped in, kissing her senseless, loving the tiny squeak he got out of her before she relaxed against him. Seth knew his kisses drugged her, and at that moment, he wanted her blissed out and relaxed. He pulled back, satisfied with the content look on her face.

“Know what would make me happy?”

Dazed, she shook her head.

“You, on your knees, sucking my dick. You made me hard, Baby girl. I can’t be standing at the end of the aisle with a hard on.”

Her eyes met his, and slowly, without needing to be told twice, she sank to her knees, running her hands all the way down his body until they found his belt. Her eyes stayed locked on his, even as she undid the buckle and unzipped his pants, she never strayed. She needed this, and Seth knew it. She needed the distraction and the reassurance that he needed her, and loved her, and would fight the world for her.

Withdrawing his cock from his boxer briefs, she finally looked down, licking her lips. The sight made Seth’s stomach clench, but he stayed still. This was for her.

She licked around the head like she knew he liked, then slowly, her eyes once again on his, drew him into her mouth, her tongue crawling up the underside. Her expression grew distant, but he knew she was focused entirely on what she was doing by the way her mouth worked on him.

Seth couldn’t help himself. “This is really why you came in here, isn’t it Mercy? You said you needed me. Is this what you needed? My cock in your throat?”

Sliding him in another inch, she moaned, confirming.

“You aren’t nervous about me staying. You know I’m not going anywhere. You just needed a reminder of where you belong. My slut, on her knees on her wedding day.” His hand wrapped itself in her hair, uncaring that he was ruining her waves.

Mercy’s hands found their place on his thighs, and she settled deeper onto her knees. Seth knew she was sinking further into her mind, that place of calm she needed to go to. Her lips pulled at him, even as she took more of him in her mouth. As she reached the base, she did something she had never done before.

Even as she gagged, she ran her tongue down and over his balls. Her eyes flew up to his, a look of smug satisfaction crossing her face. Seth gasped, his hand gripped her hair as he involuntarily pulled her further down onto him. Her nose was scrunched against his stomach, her tongue still rubbing his balls and he groaned.

He let her pull back, watching as she delved back onto him, tears streaming down her face. Her make up was a mess, but she didn’t seem to care.

“God, Baby, yes. Feels so good when you do that. Fuck,” he kept encouraging her, not caring when her fingernails bit into his thighs.

She bobbed her head in a steady pace now, intent on getting him off. He felt her moans in his bones, and he resisted the urge to pin her against the bed to face fuck her. She was amazing and beautiful, and he couldn’t believe his luck in life.

Grunting, he groaned to her. “I’m gonna cum, fuck slut. And you are going to swallow every bit of it. When I kiss you at the end of the aisle, I want to taste myself on your lips. Do you understand?”

She nodded, her tongue going into overdrive. It only took a few more lashings and he was coming down her throat, his moans echoing through the room. He didn’t even care if anyone heard.

Mercy swallowed everything he had, then slowly withdrew, licking him as she went, making sure every inch was cleaned up. Carefully, she tucked him back into his pants and held her hand out for him to help her stand up.

A bright smile blessed her face, and Seth grinned at her. “You are absolutely amazing.”

“Thank you,” she whispered, kissing his cheek. She turned to leave the room, but he stopped her.

“Mercy, don’t think that this is one sided.”

She looked at him, confused. “What?”

Smug, he put his hands in his pockets, more in an effort to not grab her and fuck her against the door than for something to do with his hands. “When we get to into that limo after we say our vows, I’m gonna eat you out the whole ride to the airport. And keep your dress on Baby Girl, I chartered a private jet, and I’m gonna fuck you all over it. You won’t be sleeping much on this honeymoon.”

She seemed to slump against the door, a little breathless. “I love you.”

Grinning at her, he winked. “I love you too.”

Have Mercy.

**The End**


End file.
